The Monster child book 1 the lighting thief
by king ulfr
Summary: not good with the summary this is a manly oc rated T
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

There I stand next to my brother Percy rising my scythe, preparing for the hardest fight of my life. "Don't worry Ulfr we can do this, no problem." Percy said. I was thinking were did my life go so wrong.

It all started when Percy and I went on a field trip, with are annoying friend Grover. You see me and Grover don't get along that well. We hang out some times, but that's only because of Percy. If you saw me and Percy you would not think we're brothers we look nothing alike, I have dirty blond hair, he has black, he has sea green eyes, I he has a surfers tan, and I am pale.

The reason we look so different is that I'm adopted. But I don't really care, sally Jackson (Percy's mom) is my mother.

Percy and I are currently enrolled in Yancy, the reason I say currently, is because Percy and are a bit of trouble makers. We both have a.d.h.d. and dyslexia and bad tempers. We are known to get into fights and yelling at the teachers and get expelled.

When we were on the bus Nancy Bobafit throwing bits of her lunch at Grover. It was hard to keep Percy from strangling her. Normally I would help, but Percy and I are on probation.

"I'm going to kill her." Percy said.

"You can when were not on probation." I said and Percy muttered threats under his breath.

When arrived Mr. Brunner my favorite teacher was telling us about the funeral pyre when Nancy said something about I couldn't hear, but Percy said a little too loud "would you please shut up!"

Mr. Brunner heard and asked. "Percy do you have a comment?"

"No sire." Percy said.

"Perhaps you can tell us what this picture represents?"

"that's kronos eating his kids, right?"

"and" Mr. Brunner asked.

"And… he didn't trust his kids the Olympian Gods. So, um, he ate them. But his wife hide baby Zeus and later he tricked his father to throw up his brothers and sisters-"

"ewwww" some girls said.

"It's not that gross." I said.

Percy ignored this. "and there was this big fight between the gods and titans and the gods won."

I heard Nancy say "like we are going to use this in really life. Like its going to ask on are job application 'Please explain why kronos ate his kids'"

"and why," Mr. Brunner asked. "to paraphrase Miss Bobafit, how will you use it in your daily life."

Percy looked like he didn't know the answer so I stepped in

"Because the past can teach us." I said "Kronos caused his biggest fear to come true by eating his kids. Zeus might not have rebelled if he hadn't."

Mr. Brunner looked impressed. "Good job Ulfr, and now lunch."


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi guys I'm back and I would like to thank THE GIRL 9713 for the advice and I plan on going into Ulfr's backstory and I want you to guess on who or what he is. And if you have ANY suggestions please do!**

Chapter 2 death to my teacher

Me, Percy, and Grover were all sitting together eating are lunch. Percy and Grover were talking but I wasn't listening, I was thinking. Where did I come from? I know I said I don't care that I am adopted, Sally and Percy are my family but I still wonder who are my biological parents and why did they leave me in an alley way? I was snapped out of my thoughts when Nancy came and dumped her half eaten lunch in Grover's lap. "Oops." she said smirking.

I could tell Percy was about to attack her so I prepared to restrain him when something unexpected happened. The water looked like it reached up and grabbed her! "What the!" I said.

Nancy shouted "PERCY PUSHED ME!" Mrs. Dodds materialized next to us. You see I hate Mrs. Dodds she loves Nancy and hates Percy and because he is my brother I and would defend him but it gets me into trouble to.

As soon as Mrs. Dodds was sure poor little Nancy was okay, promising to buy her a new shirt at the museum gift shop (or more likely have Percy buy her one) Mrs. Dodds turned on Percy. "Now honey-"

"Wait!" Grover yelped. "It was me. I pushed her. "

I was shocked Mrs. Dodds scared Grover to death and he was covering for Percy.

"I don't think so, Mr. Underwood, Jackson come-" said Mrs. Dodds

"Lay off you dumb hag, he was sticking up for his friend!" I only realized what I said after I said it. Everyone including Mrs. Dodds looked shocked at what I said. Once the shock faded from Mrs. Dodds faces, rage replaced it.

"Jacksons both of you come here." We walked with her back into the museum which was empty. She turned to Percy and said. "You've been giving us problems, honey,"

Percy just said. "Yes mam." But I could tell something was wrong you see I have really good sense of smell and Mrs. Dodds has always smelt weird like she was dangerous but always thought it was my imagination but the smell was getting stronger and it was freaking me out!

She tugged on the cuffs of her leather jacket. "Did you really think you would get away with it?" Wait what is she talking about?

Percy just said "I'll-I'll try harder, ma'am." Ya real smooth perce.

"We are not fools, Percy Jackson" Mrs. Dodds said. "It was only a matter of time before we found you out. Confess and I will spare your brother!" WAIT WHAT?

"What?" Percy said

"Times up honey" she said, then she changed. Her eyes began to glow like barbecue coals. Her fingers stretched, turning into talons. Her jacket melted into large, leathery wings. She was a hag with bat wings and claws and a mouth full of yellow fangs, and she was about to slice Percy to ribbon.

"DIE HONEY" she shouted and lunged at me. I don't know how but something clicked in me and I lunged back. We clashed I punched her in the nose breaking it she slashed at me I jumped back then she flew at me and kicked me and sent flying and nocking the wind out of me. I heard Mr. Brunner yell something then Percy charged with? A sword? Where did he get a sword?

Mrs. Dodds screamed when Percy slashed her and she turned to gold dust. He ran up to me and asked "you ok?"

"Ya (cough) I'm fine" I said "what was that and where did you get a sword?"

"I don't know" Percy said. "As for the sword Mr. Brunner, appeared and said "What ho, Percy!", and tossed the pen through the air. The pen turned into a sword midair. Crazy Hu."

"No crazier than anything else that happened" I said and walked out side

 **So guess who or what Ulfr is!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey you guys, who do you want Ulfr to get paired with? Let me know if you have any suggestions.**

Chapter 3 Mrs. Dodds?

When Percy and I went outside it started raining, and Grover was sitting by the fountain, a museum map tented over his head. Nancy Bobofit was still standing there, soaked from her swim in the fountain, grumbling to her ugly friends. When she saw me, she said, "I hope Mrs. Kerr whipped your butt."

"Who" I said.

"Our teacher, stupid." she said. Ok somethings up, we don't have a teacher named Mrs. Kerr? Percy asked Nancy what she was talking about but she just rolled her eyes and walked away.

We went to Grover and asked him where MRS. Dodds was and he just said. "Who." But he paused first, and he wouldn't look at us. I did not listen to the rest of the conversation because I realized something. You see Grover always had some cologne and it messed with my sense of smell, but the rain had washed the cologne away, and I smell something like wet fur why dose Grover smell like fur?

When we got back to Yancy Academy every one we asked was convinced there was no MRS. Dodds it got to where we almost believed them except two things, one Grover when I mentioned the name Dodds to him, he would hesitate, then claim she didn't exist, But I knew he was lying. Two, the bruise I got when Mrs. Dodds kicked me. Percy and I agreed that we should keep what happened to ourselves.

Percy was clearly bothered by what happened, but I was more worried about what I did. I felt weird when Mrs. Dodds and I fought, and it scared the crap out of me! It made me more temperamental and aggressive, and on top of that the weather went freaky. One night, a thunderstorm blew out the windows in my dorm room. A few days later, the biggest tornado ever spotted in the Hudson Valley touched down only fifty miles from Yancy Academy.

Do to stress Percy and I grades slipped from Ds to Fs. We got into more fights. Finally, when our English teacher, Mr. Nicoll, asked me for the millionth time if we did not study or were we just stupid, and Percy called him an old sot, and when Mr. Nicoll went to send him to the principal's office I tripped him.

The headmaster sent are mom a letter the following week, saying we would not be invited back next year to Yancy Academy. Witch I was not happy about, as much I love my mom I hate my obnoxious stepfather and his stupid poker parties. Pulse I would miss the view of the woods out my dorm window, I'd miss Latin class too, Mr. Brunner's crazy tournament days, (sigh) well no use griping about it.

As exam week got closer, Percy apparently heard Grover and Mr. Brunner talking about him, and said he was in danger and something about, kindly ones. Then I thought on how Grover smelt like fur, what was going on?

On are way back to the city Percy saw some old ladies cut yarn and Grover was acted like they had just sinned his death warrant so Percy and I diched him when he went to the bath room, by hoping in a cab.

A word about my mother, before you meet her.

Her name is Sally Jackson and she's the best person in the world, she adopted me when I was very young, but even though I was adopted she never showed favoritism to ether of us, but this only proves that the best people have the rottenest luck. She married Gabe Ugliano, who was nice the first two seconds we knew him, but I all ways could tell who he really was, a world-class jerk. If you want to know how I could tell you see when I first met him, I threw up because of his smell, it is so horrid that I have to hold my breath when near him, later Percy nick named him smelly Gabe.

Between the three of us, we made my mom's life pretty hard. The way Smelly Gabe treated her, the way Percy and I have to fight to not try to kill him... Well, when we came home is a good example.

I walked into our apartment with Percy, wondering if my mom was home from work yet. But no it was Smelly Gabe in the living room, playing poker with his buddies, using the hard earn money my mom got working in poker, ya I hate him. The television blared ESPN. Chips and beer cans were strewn all over the carpet (once again wasting are moms hard earned money!).

"So, you're home." He said

"Where is are mom" I said

"Working" he said "you got any money."

I had to breathe and count to ten to keep from strangling him. I said. "No."

He raised an eyebrow.

Gabe could sniff out money like a bloodhound, which was really surprising, since his own smell should've covered up everything else.

"You took a taxi from the bus station," he said. "Probably paid with a twenty. Got six, seven bucks in change. Somebody expects to live under this roof, he ought to carry his own weight. Am I right, Eddie?"

Eddie, the super of the apartment building, looked at us with a sympathy. "Come on, Gabe, "he said. " They just got here"

"Am I right?" Gabe asked

Eddie scowled and the other two guys passed gas in harmony, which I found creepy.

If Percy hadn't stopped me I would have tackled Gabe and beat him up sooo bad!

"Fine" Percy said. Throwing him some cash "I hope you lose" and we went into are room.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys tell me if there's any way to improve.**

Chapter 4 I hate my life.

We went into are room and I had to open the window, to air out the room of Gabe's smell. Then I heard my mom "Percy, Ulfr?" She opened the bedroom door.

"Hey mom" I said happy

"Oh, Percy, Ulfr." She hugged us tight. "I can't believe it. You two have grown since I last saw you!"

We sat together on the edge of the bed. While Percy and I attacked the blueberry sour strings, she demanded to know everything we didn't put in are letters.

Percy told her she was smothering him, and to lay off and all that, but I could tell he secretly, was really, really glad to see her, I also was happy to see her. For her sake, I tried to sound upbeat about are last days at Yancy Academy. Percy told her that we weren't too down about the expulsion, and explained about are last days at the Academy.

Until that trip to the museum...

"What?" my mom asked. Her eyes tugged at are minds, trying to pull out the secrets. "Did something scare you?"

"No, Mom." We said at the same time.

She pursed her lips. She knew we were lying but didn't push it. "I have a surprise for you," she said. "We're going to the beach."

My eyes widened. "Montauk?" Percy said.

"Three nights-same cabin."

"When?" I said.

She smiled. "As soon as I get changed."

Gabe appeared in the doorway and growled, "Bean dip, Sally? Didn't you hear me?"

I wanted to punch him, but I met my mom's eyes and I understood she was offering me a deal, be nice to Gabe for a little while. Just until she was ready to leave for Montauk.

After Percy and I had to say sorry for Interrupting Gabe's poker game, we were on the road!

When we got there it was a rundown old cabin with spiders in the cabinets, and sand everywhere. I once found a garter snake in my bed and killed it. I loved coming here!

We walked on the beach, fed blue corn chips to the seagulls, and munched on blue jelly beans, blue saltwater taffy, and all the other free samples my mom had brought from work.

I guess I should explain the blue food.

See, Gabe had once told my mom there was no such thing. They had this fight, which seemed like a really small thing at the time. But ever since, my mom went out of her way to eat blue. She baked blue birthday cakes. She mixed blueberry smoothies. She bought blue corn tortilla chips and brought home blue candy from the shop. This along with keeping her maiden name, Jackson, show that she had a rebellious streak, like me and Percy.

When it got dark, we made a fire. We roasted hot dogs and marshmallows. Mom told me stories about when she was a kid, back before her parents died in the plane crash. Then Percy asked about his dad, and I chose to head to bed.

That night I had a weird dream, there was a pit and a deep ancient voice. "Are they in position?" the voice said.

"Yes m-milord" a week scared voice said." but are the others necessary the Minotaur should be able to kill him, by himself?"

"I don't want any chances!" Said the strong voices "now order them to move in"

I woke up in a cold sweat with what sounded like a Hurricane outside! Someone was knocking on the door. My mom jumped up and opened the door there was Grover only he was not wearing any pants and where his legs should be... Where his legs should be…! Percy was next to me and just as shocked as I was.

"Percy, "she said, shouting to be heard over the rain. "What happened at school? What didn't you tell me?"

"O Zeu kai alloi theoi!" he yelled. "It's right behind me! Didn't you tell her?"

My mom looked at me and talked in a tone she'd never used before. "Boys. Tell me now!"

Percy and I stammered about Mrs. Dodds, and my mom stared at me and Percy, her face deathly pale in the flashes of lightning.

She grabbed her purse, tossed us are rain jackets, and said, "Get to the car. All of you. Go now!"

Grover ran for the Camaro-but he wasn't running, exactly. He was trotting, shaking his shaggy hindquarters, and suddenly his story about a muscular disorder in his legs made sense to me. I understood how he could run so fast and still limp when he walked.

Because where his feet should be, there were no feet. There were cloven hooves. And now I know why he smelled like fur.

We tore through the night along dark country roads. Wind slammed against the Camaro. Rain lashed the windshield. Every time there was a flash of lightning, I looked at Grover sitting next to me in the backseat and I wondered if I'd gone insane!

"So, you and my mom... Know each other?" Percy said.

"Not exactly, "he said. "I mean, we've never met in person. But she knew I was watching you."

"Wait why were you watching Percy!" I said.

Grover ignored me and said "Keeping tabs on you. Making sure you were okay. But I wasn't faking being your friend," he added hastily. "I am your friend."

"Urn ... What are you, exactly?" I said.

"That doesn't matter right now. "

"It doesn't matter? From the waist down, my best friend is a donkey-"said Percy.

Grover angrily said he was a goat.

"What is that smell?" I said

"What smell?" Grover asked.

"The only way I can describe it is old and dangerous" I said

Grover looked confused "That is the smell of monster, but how can you smell it?"

"How should I know!?" I said.

A weird bellowing noise rose up again somewhere behind us, closer than before. Whatever was chasing us was still on our trail.

"There's too much to explain and not enough time. We have to get you to safety. "

"Safety from what? Who's after me?" said Percy

"Oh, nobody much, "Grover said, obviously still miffed about the donkey comment. "Just the Lord of the Dead and a few of his blood-thirstiest minions."

"Grover!"

"Sorry, Mrs. Jackson. Could you drive faster, please?"

Percy counted to ask questions but the dangerous smell was getting closer and closer. Then hair rose on the back of my neck. There was a blinding flash, a jaw rattling boom! And our car exploded.

I remember feeling weightless, then everything hurt "owww" Percy said.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 WHAT AM I

"Boys, you ok?"

After I checked I said "Were fine but Grover is out cold."

I looked back. In a flash of lightning, through the mud-spattered rear windshield, I saw a figure lumbering toward us on the shoulder of the road. The sight of it made my skin crawl. It was a dark silhouette of a huge guy, like a football player. He seemed to be holding a blanket over his head. He was the source of the dangers smell.

"Who is-"

"Percy, Ulfr." my mother said, deadly serious. "Get out of the car."

"Climb out the passenger's side!" my mother told me. "Percy-you have to run. Do you see that big tree?"

"There" I said pointing to a huge pine tree.

"That's the property line," my mom said. "Get over that hill and you'll see a big farmhouse down in the valley. Run and don't look back. Yell for help. Don't stop until you reach the door."

"Mom, you're coming too." I said

"He doesn't want us," my mother told me. "He wants you Percy. Besides, I can't cross the property line."

"Mom! I am not leaving you. Help me with Grover." Percy said

I scrambled outside, dragging Grover from the car. He was surprisingly light, but I couldn't have carried him very far if Percy hadn't come to my aid.

Together, we draped Grover's arms over our shoulders and started stumbling uphill through wet waist high grass.

Glancing back, I got my first clear look at the monster. He was seven feet tall, easy, his arms and legs like something from the cover of Muscle Man magazine-bulging biceps and triceps and a bunch of other 'ceps, all stuffed like baseballs under. But he was not alone.

There were four others, one had a black tattered cloak and carried a black scythe, the other three pale almost see though skin and black swords.

"Shades" my mom said

"Food" Grover moaned, a little louder.

The man with the blanket on his head kept coming toward us, making his grunting, snorting noises. As he got closer, I realized he couldn't be holding a blanket over his head, because his hands-huge meaty hands-were swinging at his sides. There was no blanket. Meaning the bulky, fuzzy mass that was too big to be his head ... Was his head. And the points that looked like horns...

"Not good" I said

The pine tree was still way too far, a hundred yards uphill at least.

I glanced behind me again.

My mom said. "When he sees us, he'll charge. Wait until the last second, then jump out of the way- directly sideways. He can't change directions very well once he's charging. Do you understand?"

The pine tree was only a few more yards, but the hill was getting steeper and slicker, and Grover wasn't getting any lighter.

The bull-man closed in. Another few seconds and he'd be on top of us. My mother must've been exhausted, but she shouldered Grover. "Go, Separate! Remember what I said."

I didn't want to split up, but I had the feeling she was right-it was our only chance. I sprinted to the right and Percy went left. The things my mom called shades went for me and the bull man went for Percy I ran trying to get way from the shades when I saw something that made my blood run cold.

The bull man had my mother by the neck, the monster closed his fists around my mother's neck, and she dissolved before my eyes, melting into light, a shimmering golden form, as if she were a holographic projection. A blinding flash, and she was simply... Gone.

Rage, hate sadness, they all flowed though me all I could think about was revenge. I remember the snake I killed in Montauk, and my body changed. My legs merged together and growing on my body was scales, my teeth became fangs but my upper body (mines the scales and fangs) was human but my lower half was snake.

The shades were shocked and I rushed them my instincts taking over. I dogged a sword slash and wrapped my tail around the shade and crushed it. The second one hit me in the head with the hilt of the sword nocking me down. When my vision cleared I was back to normal, but the remaining three shades coming towards me and I thought "I'm so dead." But then one with the scythe kicked his two friends. "What the?" I said the shade walked up to me and his scythe changed into a one inch wide and a foot and a half long slab of black stone tablet. He tossed the tablet in front of me and dissolved into the shadows.

The other two shades were up and charging towards me I grabbed the tablet wishing it was still a scythe, and then it turned back into a scythe. I instinctively I swung it down the shade tried to block but got the blade nocked of its hand. I swung again cutting it in two. Shade number two slashed and I blocked sweeping the legs out from under it and brought down my scythe on its head and it dissolved.

I then turned to try to help Percy to find Percy had beat the bull man and was dragging Grover to the pine tree. I ran over to him and he was relieved I was still alive. I willed my scythe back to a stone tablet and slung it over my back. I saw a horn of the bull man on the ground and picked it up. When we reached the pine I ran into something. Like, an invisible wall?

"Come on" said Percy.

As soon as he said that the wall seemed to vanish we walked over to a big building. Percy passed out half way there, so I had to drag both Grover and Percy. When we arrived I was so tired I passed out right after I hear a girl say. "he has to be the one"


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys sorry for not updating yesterday I am an asthmatic which means I sometimes have trouble breathing, so sorry about that.**

Chapter 6 Camp half blood

After I passed out I had another weird dream. I was standing in front of the empire state but I was older, 16 I think. I was holding my scythe looking down a street where a large group of people and monsters looked ready for battle.

Then a winged loin, a griffin, landed next to me and said. "My lord, there getting ready for another attack what are your orders?"

"Your flock and I will use battle plan omega to give are men some air support."

"Yes my lord" said the griffin.

"Ulfr there coming get ready!" A voice said.

Then a shadow fell over the city. I woke with a start looking around the room I was in. I was in a nice clean room witch meant I was not home. Percy was next to me still asleep, muttering things in his sleep. Things like I didn't take it.

This all confused me until I saw the black stone tablet with the weird writhing on it. Then the memories from last night came rushing back. I put my head in my hands and cried. My mom was gone and I would half to live with smelly Gabe. NO I will go to prison before I live with him! When I calmed down I wiped my eyes and was about to get up when Percy woke up with a start.

"Hey" I said sadly.

He looked coursed then then he remembered "mom she's really gone." he said.

I nodded.

Then a blond girl walked in. She was probably my age, and slightly taller than me, with a deep tan and her curly blond hair and perching grey eyes wearing an orange shirt that said camp half blood on it.

I grabbed my tablet and willed it in to a scythe held it to her neck. She jumped back startled. "Easy there," she said in a calming voice. "I'm not here to hurt you"

I lowered the scythe but kept it at the ready. Call me paranoid but I was attacked by what looked like a Minotaur and four dark things which was not pleasant. "Where did you get that he asked?" I ignored him

"Where are we?" I demanded

"Camp half blood, but how did you get though the border?" she asked me.

"Border, what border." Asked Percy.

"The border of camp no monster can get though."

"What do you mean I'm no monst-?" Then I remembered how I changed. "I… I am a monster?"

"You didn't know?" she asked.

I sat down light headed. It's not every day you find out are some type of monster. "What am I?" I asked scared of the answer. Percy came over and said it did not matter that I am a monster.

The girl looked at me with a pitying and said. "We should have you talk to Chiron." And she walked out. I willed my scythe back into a tablet and slung it on my back and followed her out the door.

We entered a large room with chairs surrounding a ping pong table there were three people sitting around the table, one was Grover another was a fat little man that did not look dangerous but he smelled of power. But it was the third guy at the table that surprised me. "Mr. Brunner?"

"Ah Ulfr, Percy you have awoken, good how do you feel." Said Mr. Brunner said.

"Like I want to know what in the world is going on!?" I said

"Understandable but first you need to tell me about what happened." I explained everything that happened including how I changed but he looked nervous when I explained the cloaked man that gave me my scythe, Percy told how he beat the Monitor, and Brunner explained how all the Greek gods and monsters are real and about Mr. D is Dionysus.

"So any questions?" asked Mr. Brunner/Chiron.

"Yes how am I a monster?" I asked "I feel human."

"That is simple you were raised as a human you feel human" he said.

"What type monster am I?"

"I do not know I have heard of similar monsters to what you transformed into but not the same, maybe you're a new breed of monster but until we know more I say you shouldn't change into your monster form." Then he looked at my tablet. "You should also get rid of the scythe." I looked at him like he was crazy.

"Get rid of my only weapon!?"

"The weapon given by a monster, it might be a cursed or something"

"Fine" I set the tablet down on the table.

"Good and bye the way we will keep you being a monster a secret for now, Annabeth can you give him the tour?"

"Ya, come on" said the girl from before.

"Grover we need to talk about your less than perfect Perforins." Said Mr. D.

Yes sir said Grover

We were about to out when a weight suddenly appeared on my back and Percy gasped. When I checked my tablet was there but I was had left it in the big house?

"It must be enchanted to return to you." Said Annabeth.

"(Sigh) I guess you will have to keep it with you then."

I was happy that I could keep it. Without it I would have died last night so I had grown attached to it. I still wondered why the cloaked man give it to me but I had a more pressing problems, like what type of monster, am I going to hurt anyone, is it possible to get my mother from the underworld?

Then I remembered something I reached into my pocket and took out the Minotaur horn and handed it to Percy. "I grabbed it after the battle with the monsters its yours."

"Thanks man." he said.

We went into cabin 11, inside it was packed with people, both boys and girls, way more than the number of bunk beds. Sleeping bags were spread all over on the floor.

They were staring at us, sizing us up. I knew this routine. I'd gone through it at enough schools.

"Well?" Annabeth prompted. "Go on."

Percy tripped when he walked in. There were some snickers from the campers (and me), but none of them said anything.

Annabeth announced, "Percy and Ulfr Jackson, meet cabin eleven."

"You two are related?" Someone asked.

"Brothers" I said.

"You don't look alike."

"I'm adopted."

"Are they regular or undetermined?" somebody else asked.

I didn't know what to say, but Annabeth said, "Undetermined."

Everybody groaned. A guy who was a little older than the rest came forward. "Now, now, campers. That's what we're here for. Welcome, Percy. You can have that spot on the floor, right over there."

The guy was about nineteen, and he looked pretty cool. He was tall and muscular, with short-cropped sandy hair and a friendly smile. He wore an orange tank top, cutoffs, sandals, and a leather necklace with five different-colored clay beads. The only thing unsettling about his appearance was a thick white scar that ran from just beneath his right eye to his jaw, like an old knife slash. I did not trust don't ask me why because I don't know I just don't.

"This is Luke," Annabeth said, and her voice sounded different somehow. I glanced over and could've sworn she was blushing. "He's your counselor for now."

"For now?" asked Percy.

"You're undetermined," Luke explained patiently. "They don't know what cabin to put you in, so you're here. Cabin eleven takes all newcomers, all visitors. Naturally, we would. Hermes, our patron, is the god of travelers."

Percy asked how long it would take to be determined and they just laughed. Annabeth explained how not everyone got claimed.

Then a husky voice yelled, "Well well well. Some newbies!"

A big girl was sauntering toward us. She had three other girls behind her, all big and ugly and mean looking like her, all wearing camo jackets.

"Clarisse," Annabeth sighed. "Why don't you go polish your spear or something?"

"Sure, Miss Princess," the big girl said. "So I can run you through with it Friday night."

"Erre es korakas!" Annabeth said, which I somehow under-stood was Greek for 'Go to the crows!' though I had a feeling it was a worse curse than it sounded. "You don't stand a chance."

"We'll pulverize you," Clarisse said, but her eye twitched. Perhaps she wasn't sure she could follow through on the threat. She turned towards Percy and I. "Who are these little runts?"

"Percy and Ulfr Jackson," Annabeth said, "meet Clarisse, Daughter of Ares."

"Like ... The war god?" asked Percy.

Clarisse sneered. "You got a problem with that?"

"It explains the bad smell." Percy and I said at the same time.

"We got an initiation ceremony for newbies"

Well looks like we got a fight on are hands. I thought.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys sorry I haven't updated my Asthma is not doing to good but I'm back. By the way do you want Ulfr to get a girlfriend if so tell me.**

"Clarisse-" Annabeth tried to say.

"Stay out of it, wise girl."

Annabeth looked pained, but she did stay out of it. I was nervous, both Percy and I get into fights all the time, but these girls looked strong, and we were outnumbered. Still I got ready to fight.

I dropped my scythe/tablet on the ground and Percy handed the Minotaur horn to Annabeth then Clarisse rushed Percy the other two went after me. I ducked under ugly number one punch and punched her as hard as I could in the stomach and knocked the wind right out of her, but my hand hurt bad like I punched a wall. Ugly number two grabbed me by the neck and dragged me to what looked like an outhouse I struggled but to no avail.

They dragged me and Percy into the girls' bathroom. There was a line of toilets on one side and a line of shower stalls down the other. It smelled just like any public bathroom, I was thinking-as much as I could think could think when I was trying to escape the grip of ugly one (who was still holding her gut) and two, that if they put my head in there I would change into that snake thing and eat them alive.

"Like he's 'Big Three' material," Clarisse said as she pushed Percy's head toward one of the toilets. "Yeah, right. Minotaur probably fell over laughing, he was so stupid looking."

I was considering changing when something weird happened. Water filled the pipes and shot every ware hitting, Clarisse, ugly one, ugly two and me. The presser increased and started to push us out the door but I grabbed a stall and held on till the water stopped.

The entire bathroom was flooded. Annabeth hadn't been spared. She was dripping wet, but she hadn't been pushed out the door. She was standing in exactly the same place, staring at Percy in shock, I wasn't much better.

I said "How did you..."

"I don't know." He said

We walked to the door. Outside, Clarisse and her friends were sprawled in the mud, and a bunch of other campers had gathered around to gawk. Clarisse's hair was flattened across her face. Her camouflage jacket was sopping and she smelled like sewage. "I'm going to kill you" she snarled.

"You want to gargle with toilet water again, Clarisse? Close your mouth." Percy said.

I turned to him and slapped him up the head.

"Ow" he said "what was that fore"

"You blasted me with to toilet water!" I said.

"Ya sorry about that."

Annabeth showed me and Percy a few more places: the metal shop (where kids were forging their own swords), the arts- and-crafts room (where satyrs were sandblasting a giant marble statue of a goat-man), and the climbing wall, which actually consisted of two facing Walls that shook violently, dropped boulders, sprayed lava, and clashed together if you didn't get to the top fast enough.

Then she told us to head back to are cabin, on the way I thought about who Percy's godly parent is my first guess would be Poseidon or one of the other sea gods. I also wonder if I have a godly parent or is I was born from two snake people or if I was like the Minotaur and a human and snake had a baby.

When we arrived back at cabin eleven, everybody was talking and horsing around, waiting for dinner. For the first time, I noticed that a lot of the campers had similar features: sharp noses, upturned eyebrows, mischievous smiles and all smelled the same like the open road and mail. They were the kind of kids that teachers would peg as troublemakers. Thankfully, nobody paid much attention to us as we walked over to my and Percy spot on the floor and sat down with my tablet wondering what the righting was.

The counselor, Luke, came over. He had the Hermes family resemblance, too. It was marred by that scar on his right cheek, but his smile was intact but something was still off about it.

"Got you two some sleeping bags" he said. And here, I stole you some toiletries from the camp store."

"Thanks" Percy said.

I got up and told Percy I was going to get some fresh air and left. I walked outside and willed my tablet into the scythe and looked at the blade and wondered what I should call it. It was as black as any shadow so I decided I would call it void.

A horn blew then Luke came out and led us over to the dining pavilion.

At the pavilion, torches blazed around the marble columns. A central fire burned in a bronze brazier the size of a bathtub. Each cabin had its own table, covered in white cloth trimmed in purple. Four of the tables were empty, but cabin eleven's was way overcrowded. I had to squeeze on to the edge of a bench with half my butt hanging off with Percy sitting across from me.

Chiron pounded his hoof against the marble floor of the pavilion, and everybody fell silent. He raised a glass. "To the gods" he said.

Everybody else raised their glasses. "To the gods!"

Wood nymphs came forward with platters of food: grapes, apples, strawberries, cheese, fresh bread, and yes, barbecue! My glass was empty, but Luke said, "Speak to it. Whatever you want-nonalcoholic, of course."

"Charry coke" said Percy.

"Sprite" I said.

Said drinks appeared in are cups and we drank.

I grabbed some short ribs and grapes and bread and was about to dig in when everybody getting up, carrying their plates toward the fire in the center of the pavilion. I wondered what they were doing but I followed them.

As I got closer, I saw that everyone was taking a portion of their meal and dropping it into the fire, the ripest straw-berry, the juiciest slice of beef, the warmest, most buttery roll. Luke murmured, "Burnt offerings for the gods. They like the smell."

I nodded but when my turn came I did not know who I should sacrifice for. I decided to do Hermes as a thanks for letting me stay at his cabin and dropped the biggest rib I had in but it smelled nothing like burning food. It smelled of hot chocolate and fresh-baked brownies, hamburgers on the grill and wildflowers, and a hundred other good things that shouldn't have gone well together, but did. I could almost believe the gods could live off that smoke.

When everybody had returned to their seats and finished eating their meals, Chiron pounded his hoof again for our attention.

Mr. D got up with a huge sigh. "Yes, I suppose I'd better say hello to all you brats. Well, hello. Our activities director, Chiron, says the next capture the flag is Friday. Cabin five presently holds the laurels."

The ugly children of Ares cheered at this.

"Personally," Mr. D continued, "I couldn't care less, but congratulations. Also, I should tell you that we have two new campers today. Peter and Gulfr Johnson."

Chiron murmured something.

"Er, Percy and Ulfr Jackson, "Mr. D corrected. "That's right. Hurrah, and all that. Now run along to your silly campfire. Go on. "

Everybody cheered. We all headed down toward the amphitheater, where Apollo's cabin led a sing- along. We sang camp songs about the gods and ate s'mores and joked around.

At the end of the night we went to bed, I thought of my mom and happy times and fell asleep.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8 I capture a flag

The next few days I settled into a routine that felt almost normal, the key word is almost. Each morning I took Ancient Greek from Annabeth with Percy. The rest of the day, I'd rotate through outdoor activities and training with my void. Chiron tried to teach me archery, but I was not that good at it. I was better than Percy, who managed to shot in the opposite direction he was aiming for.

Foot racing? I did ok at it, I was some were in the middle but Percy was dead last. And wrestling? Forget it. Every time Percy or I got on the mat, Clarisse would pulverize us.

"There's more where that came from, punk," she'd mumble in my ear.

Despite that I liked camp. I got used to the morning fog over the beach, the smell of hot strawberry fields in the afternoon. I would eat dinner with cabin eleven, scrape part of my meal into the fire for herms thanking him for letting me stay in his cabin.

Thursday afternoon, three days after I'd arrived at Camp Half-Blood, I had my first sword-fighting lesson. Every-body from cabin eleven gathered in the big circular arena, where Luke would be our instructor.

I didn't do that good. I was good with a scythe, a sword was totally different. After the break Luke had Percy fight him to show the class, to my shock Percy won. When they fought again he lost easy.

"Beginners luck?" someone said.

"Maybe," he said. "But I won-der what Percy could do with a balanced sword..."

Friday there was a lot more excitement than usual.

At last, it was time for capture the flag.

When the plates were cleared away, the conch horn sounded and we all stood at our tables.

Campers yelled and cheered as Annabeth and two of her siblings ran into the pavilion carrying a silk banner. It was about ten feet long, glistening gray, with a painting of a barn owl above an olive tree. From the opposite side of the pavilion, Clarisse and her buddies ran in with another banner, of identical size, but gaudy red, painted with a bloody spear and a boar's head.

"Those are the flags?" asked Percy

"Yeah." Said Luke

"Ares and Athena always lead the teams?"

"Not always," he said. "But often."

"So, if another cabin captures one, what do you do, repaint the flag?"

He grinned. "You'll see. First we have to get one."

"Whose side are we on?" I asked.

"We've made a temporary alliance with Athena. Tonight, we get the flag from Ares. And you are going to help Percy."

The teams were announced. Athena had made an alliance with Apollo and Hermes, the two biggest cabins. Apparently, privileges had been traded-shower times, chore schedules, the best slots for activities-in order to win support.

Ares had allied themselves with everybody else: Dionysus, Demeter, Aphrodite, and Hephaestus. I started to look for the more dangers people, from what I'd seen, Dionysus's kids were actually good athletes, but there were only two of them. Demeter's kids had the edge with nature skills and outdoor stuff but they weren't very aggressive. Most Aphrodite's sons and daughters weren't a dangerous. They mostly sat out every activity and checked their reflections in the lake and did their hair and gossiped. Hephaestus's kids weren't pretty, and there were only four of them, but they were big and burly from working in the metal shop all day. They might be a problem. That, of course, left Ares's cabin: a dozen of the biggest, ugliest, meanest kids on Long Island and the biggest threat.

Chiron hammered his hoof on the marble.

"Heroes!" he announced. "You know the rules. The creek is the boundary line. The entire forest is fair game. All magic items are allowed. The banner must be prominently displayed, and have no more than two guards. Prisoners may be disarmed, but may not be bound or gagged. No killing or maiming is allowed. I will serve as referee and battlefield medic. Arm yourselves!"

He spread his hands, and the tables were suddenly covered with equipment: helmets, bronze swords, spears, ox hide shields coated in metal.

"Whoa," Percy said. "We're really supposed to use these?"

"No, we are supposed to give them to the enemy" I said sarcastically.

Luke laughed and said to Percy "Unless you want to get skewered by your friends in cabin five. Here Chiron thought these would fit. You'll be on border patrol."

I decided to go without armor so I would be faster than the others. "What will I be doing" I asked.

"You're with me capturing the flag." He said.

Annabeth yelled, "Blue team, forward!"

We cheered and shook our swords and followed her down the path to the south woods. The red team yelled taunts at us as they headed off toward the north.

I followed Luke towards the creek. "Hey why are you not wearing armor?" he asked.

"I don't want it to slow me down" I said.

"Ok but try to not get hit it will hurt."

"Noted."

Annabeth stationed Percy next to a little creek that gurgled over some rocks, then she and the rest of us scattered into the trees.

I followed Luke into the woods preparing for a fight when a horn blew and we were off. Then a feeling passed over me, similar to what I felt when I fought the dark swords men.

A group of the red team attacked us, I willed void into a scythe and blocked one strike and counter attacked, hitting him in the head with the butt of my scythe and he crumpled to the ground. Next I charged to Luke who was fighting two at once. I rammed into one knocking him to the ground, then I slammed the blunt side of my scythe into his head knocking him out cold.

"Thanks man" Luke said.

We charged forward then we reached the flag. Two guards rushed to attack us, Luke slammed the hilt of his sword in ones face and I rushed the other and nocked the spear out of his hand and kicked him in the head.

"Grab the flag and let's go!" I said.

"On it" he said and grabbed the flag.

We ran as fast as we could to are side when a spear flew at Luke hitting him in the leg.

When I went to help him he said. "No get the flag to are side."

So I grabbed the flag and ran as fast as I could that feeling earlier became stronger. I ran through the forest like I was born in it. When the creek was in view I put the last of my energy in and jumped everyone gasped at how long I jumped.

I when landed on the other side, the blue team went wild cheering and ran up to me and patted my back. Then we heard a howl the campers' cheering died instantly. Chiron shouted something in Ancient Greek, which I would realize, only later, I had understood perfectly: "Stand ready! My bow!"

I ready my scythe.

There on the rocks just above us was a black hound the size of a rhino, with lava-red eyes and fangs like daggers.

It glared right at Percy.

"Percy run" yelled Annabeth.

I ran forward when the best struck, I let the feeling that had been growing take over. I changed into my snake form and lunged at the best nocking it off Percy and rapped around it and bit it over and over injecting my venom into it.

It howl in pain then slowly disintegrated. I changed back with every one staring at me in shock.

Annabeth was the first to snap out of it "Di immortales!" Annabeth said. "That's a hellhound from the Fields of Punishment. They don't ... They're not supposed to ... "

"Someone summoned it," Chiron said. "Someone inside the camp."

Clarisse yelled, "It's all Percy's fault! Percy summoned it!"

"Be quiet, child," Chiron told her.

"You're wounded," Annabeth told me. "Quick, Percy, get in the water."

"I'm okay."

"No, you're not," she said. "Chiron, watch this."

He stepped back into the water and his wounds started to heal and then a hollow graphic trident appeared over his head.

"It is determined," Chiron announced.

All around me, campers started kneeling, even the Ares cabin, though they didn't look happy about it.

"My father?" he asked, completely bewildered.

"Poseidon," said Chiron. "Earthshaker, Stormbringer, Father of Horses. Hail, Perseus Jackson, Son of the Sea God."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9 I hate quests

The next day Percy got moved to cabin three and all of cabin eleven avoided me. One got up enough nerve to try to tell me to get out of the cabin, all I had to do was glare at him and he ran off terrified. Apparently Hermes told Luke to let me stay in the cabin witch I was grateful, for but it did not stop the rest of the cabin to fear me.

Even though it was kind of cool to be feared but also really lonely, only Luke did not treat me like a freak. Wear ever I went whispers followed fingers pointed and it drove me crazy.

Percy wasn't much better. We hung out a lot over the next couple of days, and Luke helped us train with are weapons.

"You're going to need all the training you can get," he promised.

Annabeth still taught Percy and me Greek in the mornings, but she seemed distracted. Every time Percy said something, she scowled at him, as if he just insulted her.

The most surprising thing is that Clarisse kept her distance only sending him, I hate you and will kill you, looks. Apparently Percy broke her magic spear in the capture the flag.

I knew many at camp hated me, because one night I came to my spot in cabin elven to find a newspaper that said.

 **BOYS AND MOTHER STILL MISSING. FREAK CAR ACCIDENT. BY EILEEN SMYTHE.**

Sally Jackson and her sons Percy and ulfr are still missing one week after their mysterious disappearance. Mother and son had gone for a weekend vacation to Montauk, but left hastily, under mysterious circumstances. Small traces of blood were found in the car and near the scene of the wreck, but there were no other signs of the missing Jacksons. Residents in the rural area reported seeing nothing unusual around the time of the accident.

Ms. Jackson's husband, Gabe Ugliano, claims that his stepson, Percy Jackson, is a troubled child who has been kicked out of numerous boarding schools and has expressed violent tendencies in the past and influences his adopted brother Ulfr to do the same.

Police would not say whether Percy and his brother Ulfr are suspects in their mother's disappearance, but they have not ruled out foul play. Below are recent pictures of Sally Jackson and Percy. Police urge anyone with information to call the following toll-free crime-stoppers hotline.

The phone number was circled in black marker.

I snarled and sniffed the paper, I smelled the scent of the kid that told me to leave day's before. I walked up to him grabbed him by the shirt and said. "Mess with me again I will eat you alive."

The guy looked like he was going to pee his pants.

"HEY, Ulfr calm down man" said Luke.

I let go of him and went to my spot and went to sleep.

The next day I woke up to a storm coming in. I got up hoping to train little before it hits. I to go see if Percy wanted to train with me when I saw Grover leading him to the big house. Wondering what was happening so I followed them. When we arrived at the big house they went into the counsel room. I focused on over hearing them and weirdly my hearing sharpened and I could hear them like I was in the room.

"Come closer," Mr. D said. "And don't expect me to kowtow to you, mortal, just because old Barnacle Beard is your father."

A net of lightning flashed across the clouds. Thunder shook the windows of the house.

"That was creepy" I thought.

"Blah, blah, blah," Dionysus said.

"If I had my way," Dionysus said, "I would cause your molecules to erupt in flames. We'd sweep up the ashes and be done with a lot of trouble. But Chiron seems to feel this would be against my mission at this cursed camp: to keep you little brats safe from harm."

"Combustion is a form of harm." Said Chiron.

"Nonsense," Dionysus said. "Boy wouldn't feel a thing. Nevertheless, I've agreed to restrain myself I'm thinking of turning you into a dolphin instead, sending you back to your father."

"Mr. D!" Chiron warned.

"Oh, all right," Dionysus relented. "There's one more option. But it's deadly foolishness." Dionysus rose, and the invisible players' cards dropped to the table. "I'm off to Olympus for the emergency meeting. If the boy is still here when I get back, I'll turn him into an Atlantic bottlenose. Do you understand? O and by the way."

I jumped when something grabbed me. Grape vines rapped around me. I struggled but the vines pulled me in the room. Percy and Chiron looked at me shocked.

"Hi." I said

"Ah the monster child." Said Mr. D. "if you agree, take _it_ with you." He told Percy.

"If I'm lucky he'll eat you or get you killed." and he vanished

"Ok every one sit" Chiron said.

We did.

"Tell me, Percy," he said. "What did you make of the hellhound?"

Percy shuddered. "It scared me if Ulfr hadn't killed it I would be dead now."

"You'll meet worse, Percy. Far worse, before you're done."

"Done with what?"

"Your quest, of course. Will you accept it?"

"You should tell him the quest before he accepts it." I said.

"Well, that's the hard part, the details." He said.

"Poseidon and Zeus," Percy said. "They're fighting over something valuable ... Something that was stolen, aren't they?"

Chiron and Grover exchanged looks.

Chiron sat forward in his wheelchair. "How did you know that?"

"The weather since Christmas has been weird, like the sea and the sky are fighting. Then I talked to Annabeth, and she'd overheard something about a theft. And ... I've also been having these dreams."

"Your father and Zeus are having their worst quarrel in centuries. They are fighting over something valuable that was stolen. To be precise: a lightning bolt."

"A what?" I asked.

"Do not take this lightly," Chiron warned. "I'm not talking about some tinfoil-covered zigzag you'd see in a second-grade play. I'm talking about a two-foot-long cylinder of high grade celestial bronze, capped on both ends with god level explosives."

"Yikes" I said.

"Zeus's master bolt," Chiron said, getting worked up now. "The symbol of his power, from which all other lightning bolts are patterned. The first weapon made by the Cyclopes for the war against the Titans, the bolt that sheered the top off Mount Etna and hurled Kronos from his throne; the master bolt, which packs enough power to make mortal hydrogen bombs look like firecrackers."

"And it's stolen?" Percy asked.

"Yes"

"Bye who?"

"By you."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10 a questing we shall go.

"Wait, you went and stole one of the strongest weapons on the planet and didn't invite me!" I joked.

"Shut up" Percy told me. "I didn't steal it."

"But Zeus thinks you did that's what Zeus thinks. During the winter solstice, at the last council of the gods, Zeus and Poseidon had an argument. The usual nonsense: 'Mother Rhea always liked you best, ' Air dis-asters are more spectacular than sea disasters, ' et cetera. Afterward, Zeus realized his master bolt was missing, taken from the throne room under his very nose. He immediately blamed Poseidon. Now, a god cannot usurp another god's symbol of power directly-that is forbidden by the most ancient of divine laws. But Zeus believes your father convinced a human hero to take it. Zeus believes he has found his thief." Chiron said.

"But I've never even been to Olympus! Zeus is crazy!"

Thunder boomed.

"Er, Percy..?" Grover said. "We don't use the c-word to describe the Lord of the Sky."

"Zeus is crazy." I said.

Thunder boomed again.

Grover and Chiron looked at me like I was crazy.

"Ulfr does not like begin told what to do." Percy explained.

"Ahh, well Ulfr you should avoid angering Zeus." Chiron said. "Now Percy, with the master bolt and now you come along the proverbial last straw."

"But I just a kid!"

"Percy," Grover cut in, "if you were Zeus, and you already thought your brother was plotting to overthrow you, then your brother suddenly admitted he had broken the sacred oath he took after World War II, that he's fathered a new mortal hero who might be used as a weapon against you... Wouldn't that put a twist in your toga?"

"But I didn't do anything. Poseidon-my dad-he didn't really have this master bolt stolen, did he?"

Chiron sighed. "Most thinking observers would agree that thievery is not Poseidon's style. But the Sea God is too proud to try convincing Zeus of that. Zeus has demanded that Poseidon return the bolt by the summer solstice. That's June twenty-first, ten days from now. Poseidon wants an apology for being called a thief by the same date. I hoped that diplomacy might prevail, that Hera or Demeter or Hestia would make the two brothers see sense. But your arrival has inflamed Zeus's temper. Now neither god will back down. Unless someone intervenes, unless the master bolt is found and returned to Zeus before the solstice, there will be war. And do you know what a full-fledged war would look like?"

"Bad" I said.

"Imagen millions dead, Nature at war with its self. Destruction, Carnage. A battleground so big it will make the Trojan War look like a water-balloon fight."

"Bad" said Percy.

"And you, Percy Jackson, would be the first to feel Zeus's wrath."

I felt the urge to go to mount Olympus and rip Zeus's arms off and beat him with them.

"So I have to find the stupid bolt, "I said. "And return it to Zeus."

"What better peace offering," Chiron said, "than to have the son of Poseidon return Zeus's property?"

"If Poseidon doesn't have it, where is the thing?"

"I believe I know." Chiron's expression was grim. "Part of a prophecy I had years ago ... Well, some of the lines make sense to me, now. But before I can say more, you must officially take up the quest. You must seek the counsel of the Oracle."

"Why can't you tell me where the bolt is beforehand?"

"Because if I did, you would be too afraid to accept the challenge."

"So you're going to have him except a quest that he knows nothing about?" I asked and he nodded.

"As you're attorney I advise against this." I said.

"It's ok he" said.

And he went to the attic. We waited for him to return, when he did he was pale and looked scared.

"Well?" Chiron asked me.

He slumped into a chair at the pinochle table. "She said I would retrieve what was stolen."

Grover sat forward, chewing excitedly on the remains of a Diet Coke can. "That's great!"

"What did the Oracle say exactly?" Chiron pressed. "This is important."

"She... She said I and three would go west and face a god who had turned. I would retrieve what was stolen and see it safely returned."

I scowled, that sounded like good news but the way Percy was acting maid it seemed like he heard something really bad.

"I knew it," Grover said.

Chiron didn't look satisfied. "Anything else?"

"No," he said. "That's about it."

I didn't believe him but remained silent.

"Okay," he said, like he was anxious to change topics. "So where do I go? Who's this god in the west?"

"Ah, think, Percy," Chiron said. "If Zeus and Poseidon weaken each other in a war, who stands to gain?"

"Somebody else who wants to take over?" Percy guessed.

"Yes, quite. Someone who harbors a grudge, who has been unhappy with his lot since the world was divided eons ago."

"Hades," I said "you want us to go to the underworld."

"Us?" Percy asked.

I rolled my eyes. "Do you really think I would let you go with just goat boy here?"

"Hey." Grover said.

"You're the last family I have, I'm coming."

He smiled. "Thanks Ulfr"

"I'll come." Grover said but he sounded scared.

"Real brave aren't you goat boy" I said sarcastically.

"At least I'm not a beast." He spat.

I angrily reached for void but Percy stopped me

"Be nice you two." Percy said.

"Wait, if we know its Hades," I told Chiron, "why can't we just tell the other gods? Zeus or Poseidon could go down to the Underworld and get it themselves?"

"Suspecting and knowing are not the same," Chiron said. "Besides, even if the other gods suspect Hades- and I imagine Poseidon does-they couldn't retrieve the bolt them-selves. Gods cannot cross each other's territories except by invitation. That is another ancient rule. Heroes, on the other hand, have certain privileges. They can go anywhere, challenge anyone, as long as they're bold enough and strong enough to do it. No god can be held responsible for a hero's actions. Why do you think the gods always operate through humans?"

"You're saying I'm being used."

"I'm saying it's no accident Poseidon has claimed you now. It's a very risky gamble, but he's in a desperate situation. He needs you."

"So that's a yes." I said.

"You've known I was Poseidon's son all along, haven't you?" Percy asked.

"I had my suspicions. As I said ... I've spoken to the Oracle, too."

"I had my suspicions as well. The bathroom incident was a big clue." I said.

"Where is the underworld?" Percy asked.

"I thought that would be obvious. The entrance to the Underworld is in Los Angeles."

"Let's book us a flight." Percy said.

"NO" Grover said.

"Percy as a son of Poseidon it would be a bad Idea to fly Zeus would strike you out of the air." Chiron said.

"Over land then."

That's right," Chiron said. "Three companions may accompany you. Grover and Ulfr are two. The other has already volunteered, if you will accept her help."

Then I realized I smelled a strange smell in the room, I instantly knew who it was.

"She must be pretty stupid to want to come with us maybe a daughter of Athena." I said.

"Hey"

The air shimmered behind Chiron and Annabeth became visible looking vary angry.

"You calling the Athena cabin stupid!" she yelled.

"It was just a joke, little Annie."

"You beater shut it beast boy"

"Yikes, you're grumpy today."

"Ulfr please stop picking fights" Percy said.

"Fine"

Annabeth agreed to come and we each went to pack. I didn't have much just a spare set of clothes, a tooth brush and some snacks to stuff in a backpack Luke had stole for me.

The camp store loaned Percy one hundred dollars in mortal money and twenty golden coins called drachmas.

Annabeth was bringing her magic Yankees cap, which she told me had been a twelfth-birthday present from her mom. She carried a book on famous classical architecture, written in Ancient Greek, to read when she got bored, and a long bronze knife, hidden in her shirt sleeve. I was sure the knife would get us busted the first time we went through a metal detector.

Grover wore his fake feet and his pants to pass as human. He wore a green Rasta style cap, because when it rained his curly hair flattened and you could just see the tips of his horns. His bright orange backpack was full of scrap metal and apples to snack on. Goats are weird. In his pocket was a set of reed pipes but he wasn't that good with them.

Chiron was waiting for us in his wheelchair. Next to him stood a man with eye balls covering his entire body.

Luke came running up the hill, carrying a pair of basketball shoes.

"Hey!" he panted. "Glad I caught you"

Annabeth blushed, the way she always did when Luke was around.

"I wanted to give you these." He said handing Percy the shoes.

Luke said, "Maia!"

Wings sprouted out of the heels, and began to flap.

"Awesome!" Grover said.

Luke smiled. "Those served me well when I was on my quest. Good luck."

After he left Percy realized he couldn't use them because Zeus would strike him down and gave them to Grover. Then we all got in the van and went on are way heading for the underworld.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11 Return of my math teacher

When we left Percy showed me his new sword, riptide. Argus drove us out of the countryside and into western Long Island. Percy sat in the middle with Annabeth and Grover on either side with me in shot gun. After two weeks at Half-Blood Hill, the real world seemed weird. I stared at every kid we passed every car we drove by.

"So far so good." said Percy. "Ten miles and not a single monster"

"Its bad luck to talk that way, seaweed brain." Annabeth said.

"Why do you hate me." asked Percy.

"I don't hate you" she said.

"You could have fooled me." He said.

"We're not supposed to get along, okay? Our parents are rivals."

"Really?" I asked.

"What?" she said.

"You're really letting your mother pick your friends for you?"

"No it's just-."

"Are you your mother?"

"No but-"

"Is Percy his father?"

"No"

"Then why would it matter if they are rivals?"

"…"

"You need to make your own decisions or you will just become a copy of your mother."

"Wow when did you become so smart?" Percy asked.

"You start thinking a lot more when you find out you are not human." I said.

Annabeth was silent the rest of the trip. Argus dropped us at the Greyhound Station on the Upper East Side, not far from my mom and Gabe's apartment. Taped to a mailbox was a soggy flyer with my and Percy's picture on it: HAVE YOU SEEN THESE BOYS?

I grabbed it and shredded it angrily. Thinking about going down there and ripping Gabe apart.

Grover shouldered his backpack. He gazed down the street in the direction I was looking. "You want to know why she married him."

"Hu" Percy and I said.

"Guess I forgot to tell you satyrs can read emotions. You we were thinking about your mom and your stepdad, right?"

We nodded.

"Your mom married Gabe for you guys," Grover told me. "You call him 'Smelly, ' but you've got no idea. The guy has this aura... Yuck. I can smell him from here. I can smell traces of him on you two, and you haven't been near him for a week."

"Great," I said. "Anyone else feel the need to bathe in lava?"

Percy raised his hand.

"You should be grateful, Percy. Your stepfather smells so repulsively human he could mask the presence of any demigod."

"But if I am a monster, shouldn't my sent help hide his?" I asked.

"She also did it for you. You may not be a demigod but your sent is still strong, whatever you are its powerful and most monsters would love to have a strong monster on their side or to kill you so you don't turn against them."

"Wow I didn't know I was that strong."

Finally the bus came. As we stood in line to board I started to smell a monster.

"Grover" I said. "Do you smell that?"

He nodded but he said it was probably nothing but I kept an eye out.

When we finally got on board and found seats together in the back of the bus. The rest stowed their backpacks but I kept mine with me. Annabeth kept slapping her Yankees cap nervously against her thigh.

The last passengers got on and my blood went cold. An old lady had just boarded the bus. She wore a crumpled velvet dress, lace gloves, and a shapeless orange knit hat that shadowed her face, and she carried a big paisley purse. When she tilted her head up, her black eyes glittered.

It was Mrs. Dodds. Older, more withered, but definitely the same evil face.

I reached for void. Behind her came two more old ladies: one in a green hat, one in a purple hat. Otherwise they looked exactly like Mrs. Dodds same gnarled hands, paisley handbags, wrinkled velvet dresses. Triplet demon grandmothers.

"She didn't stay dead long" Percy said. "I thought you said they could be dispelled for a lifetime."

"I said if you're lucky," Annabeth said. "You're obviously not."

"The three furies from legend this is not good" I said.

"We'll just slip out the windows." Said Annabeth.

"They don't open."

"A back exit?" she suggested.

There wasn't one. Even if there had been, it wouldn't have helped. By that time, we were on Ninth Avenue, heading for the Lincoln Tunnel.

"They won't attack us with witnesses around," Percy said. "Will they?"

"Mortals don't have good eyes," Annabeth reminded him. "Their brains can only process what they see through the Mist."

"Great" I said sarcastically. "Tomorrow news four armed kids are killed by three grandmothers."

We hit the Lincoln Tunnel, and the bus went dark except for the running lights down the aisle. It was eerily quiet without the sound of the rain. Mrs. Dodds got up. In a flat voice, as if she'd rehearsed it, she announced to the whole bus: "I need to use the restroom"

"Me two" said the other two.

They all started coming down the aisle.

"Percy take my hat." Annabeth said.

"What?!" Percy said.

"You're the one they want. Turn invisible and go up the aisle. Let them pass you. Maybe you can get to the front and get away."

"I can't just leave you."

"Just go, we can handle are selves." I said.

He vanished but I could still smell him I hoped they wouldn't notice. The old hags came down the aisle.

When the stopped in front of us I said. "Hey Mrs. Dodds how's your noise?" thinking of how I broke it in are first encounter.

She snarled and said "where is it."

"He is gone." Annabeth said.

Then they transformed. Their faces remand the same but their bodies withered into leathery brown hag bodies with bat's wings and hands and feet like gargoyle claws. Their handbags had turned into fiery whips.

They lashed their whips but I willed void into scythe mode and blocked them. Then the bus maid a sharp turn filing the hags to the other side of the bus. It continued to swerve and I thought. "Only Percy drives that bad."

We careened out of the Lincoln Tunnel and back into the rainstorm, people and monsters tossed around the bus, I managed to slash ones chest but she didn't turn to dust.

Somehow the driver found an exit. We shot off the highway, through half a dozen traffic lights, and ended up barreling down one of those New Jersey rural roads where you can't believe there's so much nothing right across the river from New York. There were woods to our left, the Hudson River to our right.

Then someone hit the emergency brake. The bus wailed, spun a full circle on the wet asphalt, and crashed into the trees.

The Furies regained their balance. They lashed their whips at Annabeth while she waved her knife and yelled in Ancient Greek, telling them to back off. Grover threw tin cans.

I jumped on one nocking the wipe out of her hand and was about to cut her down another whipped me in the back pain erupted where it hit but I cut the one that hit me hand off.

Percy who reaperd yelled. "Braccas meas vescimini!"

I was confused because it meant, "Eat my pants".

Thunder shook the bus. The hair rose on the back of my neck.

"Get out!" Annabeth yelled. "Now!" I didn't need any encouragement.

We rushed outside and found the other passengers wandering around in a daze, arguing with the driver, or running around in circles yelling, "We're going to die!" A Hawaiian shirted tourist with a camera snapped are photograph before I could change void back into a tablet or Percy to recap his sword.

"Our bags!" Grover realized. "We left our-"

BOOOOOM!

A bolt of lightning struck the bus and it exploded but an angry wail from inside told me Mrs. Dodds was not yet dead.

But that wasn't the worst I could feel a pulling in my gut.

"RUN!" I yelled. "She's calling for reinforcements! We have to get out of here!"

"How do you know?" Percy shouted.

"I felt it now run!"

We plunged into the woods as the rain poured down, the bus in flames behind us, and nothing but darkness ahead.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12 I hate gnomes.

There we were, Annabeth, Grover, Percy and I, walking through the woods, tired and scared the burn on my back was painful I had some Ibuprofen from my backpack which I grabbed before we ran for are lives

Grover was shivering and braying, his big goat eyes turned slit-pupiled and full of terror. "Three Kindly Ones. All three at once."

"Come on! The farther away we get, the better." Annabeth said.

"All our money was back there," I reminded her. "Our food and clothes. Everything."

"No" I said "I got some food and clothes in my pack."

"What do you got?" Percy asked.

"Four bags of chips and four candy bars"

"That won't last long"

Then Annabeth said "Well, maybe if you hadn't decided to jump into the fight-"

"What did you want me to do? Let you get killed?"

"You didn't need to protect us, Percy. We would've been fine"

"No we wouldn't," I said "I was wounded you where barley holding one off and Grover wasn't helping with his cans, face it we would have died."

She huffed angrily but remained silent.

Grover brayed mournfully. "Tin cans ... A perfectly good bag of tin cans."

We sloshed across mushy ground, through nasty twisted trees that smelled like sour laundry.

After a few minutes, Annabeth fell into line next to Percy and me, and said to Percy "Look, I..." Her voice faltered. "I appreciate your coming back for us, okay? That was really brave."

"We're a team, right?" Percy said.

She was silent for a few more steps. "It's just that if you died ... Aside from the fact that it would really suck for you, it would mean the quest was over. This may be my only chance to see the real world."

The thunderstorm had finally let up. The city glow faded behind us, leaving us in almost total darkness but I could smell where everything was.

"You haven't left Camp Half-Blood since you were seven?" Percy asked her.

"No ... Only short field trips. My dad-"

"The history professor."

"Yeah. It didn't work out for me living at home. I mean, Camp Half-Blood is my home. At camp you train and train. And that's all cool and everything, but the real world is where the monsters are. That's where you learn whether you're any good or not."

"You're pretty good with that knife,"

I tuned out the pair getting board of the conversation when I jumped at a shrill toot-toot-toot, like the sound of an owl being tortured.

"Hey, my reed pipes still work!" Grover cried.

"Are you sure?" I said.

He ignored me. "If I could just remember a 'find path' song, we could get out of these woods!"

He puffed out a few notes, but it wasn't that good.

I side stepped a tree but Percy slammed right into it. I laughed at him then moved on.

I started to see light up ahead: the colors of a neon sign. I could smell food. Fried, greasy, excellent food. But I also smelled monster but Percy and kept on walking.

I saw one of those weird roadside curio shops that sell lawn flamingos and wooden Indians and cement grizzly bears and stuff like that. The main building was a long, low warehouse, sur-rounded by acres of statuary. The neon sign above the gate was impossible for me to read, because if there's anything worse for my dyslexia than regular English, it's red cursive neon English.

To me, it looked like: ANYTU EMS GERDAN GMOMEN MEPROIUM.

"What the heck does that say?" asked Percy

"How should I know?" I said.

"Don't look at me." Annabeth said.

Grover translated: "Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium."

Flanking the entrance, as advertised, were two cement garden gnomes, ugly bearded little runts, smiling and waving, as if they were about to get their picture taken.

Percy and Annabeth crossed the street.

"STOP" I said.

They froze "why." They asked.

"I smell monster in there." Grover nodded.

"Your nose is clogged up from the Furies," Annabeth told him. "All I smell is burgers. Aren't you hungry?"

"Why don't we eat my chips and candy bars?"

"Which would you want a small bag of chips or a nice juice hamburger."

"If the hamburger meant fighting a monster I will take the chips."

"It will be fine come on."

"If we die I will kill you" I said.

They shrugged and continued. The front lot was a forest of statues: cement animals, cement children, even a cement satyr playing the pipes, which gave Grover the creeps.

"Bla-ha-ha!" he bleated. "Looks like my Uncle Ferdinand!"

"I don't like this." I said.

Then the door creaked open, and standing in front of us was a tall woman that was wearing a long black gown that covered everything but her hands, and her head was completely veiled.

Her accent sounded vaguely Middle Eastern, too. She said, "Children, it is too late to be out all alone. Where are your parents?"

"We're orphans," I said. Witch was partly true.

"We got separated from our caravan," Percy said. "Our circus caravan. The ringmaster told us to meet him at the gas station if we got lost, but he may have forgotten, or maybe he meant a different gas station. Anyway, we're lost. Is that food I smell?"

"Oh, my dears," the woman said. "You must come in, poor children. I am Aunty Em. Go straight through to the back of the warehouse, please. There is a dining area."

The warehouse was filled with more statues-people in all different poses, wearing all different outfits and with different expressions on their faces. I was thinking you'd have to have a pretty huge garden to fit even one of these statues, because they were all life-size. But mostly, I was thinking "we are going to die."

There it was at the back of the warehouse, a fast-food counter with a grill, a soda fountain, a pretzel heater, and a nacho cheese dispenser. Everything you could want, plus a few steel picnic tables out front.

"Please, sit down," Aunty Em said.

"Um," Grover said reluctantly, "we don't have any money, ma'am."

Aunty Em said, "No, no, children. No money. This is a special case, yes? It is my treat, for such nice orphans."

"Thank you, ma'am," Annabeth said.

Unty Em stiffened, as if Annabeth had done some-thing wrong, but then the old woman relaxed just as quickly.

"Quite all right, Annabeth," she said.

I stiffened and grabbed void because we hadn't told her are names.

"You have such beautiful gray eyes, child."

Our hostess disappeared behind the snack counter and started cooking. Before we knew it, she'd brought us plastic trays heaped with double cheeseburgers, vanilla shakes, and XXL servings of French fries.

Percy and Annabeth devoured the meals, I pretended to eat. "What's that hissing noise?" I asked.

"Hissing?" Aunty Em asked. "Perhaps you hear the deep-fryer oil. You have keen ears."

Something was defiantly wrong here.

"You make these statues yourself?" Percy asked.

"Oh, yes." She said. "Once upon a time, I had two sisters to help me in the business, but they have passed on, and Aunty Em is alone. I have only my statues. This is why I make them, you see. They are my company."

Hu life like stone gnomes, two sisters, hissing noise, unty Em, m… O CRAP.

"UNTY EM IS MEDUSA!" I mentally screamed.

"Guys we need to leave the caravan will be looking for us." I said

"Please, dears," Aunty Em pleaded. "I so rarely get to be with children. Before you go, won't you at least sit for a pose?"

"A pose?" I asked warily.

"A photograph. I will use it to model a new statue set. Children are so popular, you see. Everyone loves children."

Annabeth shifted her weight from foot to foot. "I don't think we can, ma'am. Come on, Percy-"

"Sure we can," Percy said. "It's just a photo, Annabeth. What's the harm?"

"How dose begin turned to stone sound!" I said.

"Begin turned to stone?" he asked. "What are you talking about?"

That is uncle

"You are very smart young one." Medusa said to me and she reached up to undo the wrap around her head.

"Scatter!" Annabeth yelled.

I grabbed Percy, who was in some kind of trance, and ran into the forest of statues and heard the sound of snakes hissing behind us.

"She is medusa?" Percy asked.

"Thank you captain obvious," I said. "I'm going to deal with medusa."

"How, with your eyes closed?!"

Yes and I ran off closing my eyes and began to rely on smell and hearing. When I found her she slashed at me I jumped back and willed void into scythe mode and swung it at her. She was surprised and was to slow to doge and I heard something hit the floor and what sound like snakes dyeing. With my eyes still closed I grabbed Medusa's veil and rapped a basketball sized objected in it.

Then tired I sat down grabbed my back pack and finely got something to eat.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13 I talk to a Chihuahua

We left Medusa's lair after Percy sent her head to Olympus but I was too tired to travel for long so we camped out in the woods, a hundred yards from the main road, in a marshy clearing that local kids had obviously been using for parties. The ground was littered with flattened soda cans and fast-food wrappers.

We'd taken some food blankets and medicine from Aunty Em's, but we didn't dare light a fire to dry our damp clothes. The Furies and Medusa had provided enough excitement for one day.

Grover volunteered for first watch and I took some medicine to help with the burn on my back, and was out like a light.

When I awoke I noticed two things one my back wasn't hurting and two Grover had a pink poodle. Annabeth explained on how the poodle ran away but we would return him for a reward.

We spent two days on the Amtrak train, heading west through hills, over rivers, past amber waves of grain. I tried to keep a low profile because my name and picture were splattered over the front pages of several East Coast newspapers. The Trenton Register-News showed a photo taken by a tourist as I got off the Greyhound bus. I looked like I had fought my wat out, witch I did, with my scythe a blur in my hands it looked like a meatal pole.

The picture's caption read: Twelve-year-old Percy and Ulfr Jackson, wanted for questioning in the Long Island disappearance of their mother two weeks ago, is shown here fleeing from the bus where he accosted several elderly female passengers. The bus exploded on an east New Jersey roadside shortly after Jackson fled the scene. Based on eyewitness accounts, police believe the boys may be traveling with two teenage accomplices. Their stepfather, Gabe Ugliano, has offered a cash reward for information leading to their capture.

"Don't worry," Annabeth told me. "Mortal police could never find us." But she didn't sound so sure.

Our reward money for returning the poodle had only been enough to purchase tickets as far as Denver. We couldn't get berths in the sleeper car, so we dozed in our seats.

Grover kept snoring and bleating and waking me up. Once, he shuffled around and his fake foot fell off. We had to put it back on.

We pulled into the Amtrak station downtown. The intercom told us we'd have a three-hour layover before departing for Denver.

Annabeth dragged us to the Gateway Arch for sightseeing.

I kept looking around, though, at the other people in line.

"You smell anything?" Percy asked me and Grover.

He took his nose out of the jelly-bean bag long enough to sniff. "Underground," he said distastefully. "Under-ground air always smells like monsters. Probably doesn't mean anything."

"Ya but keep a lookout" I said.

"Guys," Percy said. "You know the gods' symbols of power?"

Annabeth had been in the middle of reading about the construction equipment used to build the Arch, but she looked over. "Yeah?"

"Well, Hades Doesn't he have a hat like Annabeth's?"

"You mean the Helm of Darkness," Annabeth said. "Yeah, that's his symbol of power. I saw it next to his seat during the winter solstice council meeting, but his helm is a lot more powerful than my invisibility hat, if what I've heard is true..."

"It allows him to become darkness," Grover confirmed. "He can melt into shadow or pass through walls. He can't be touched, or seen, or heard. And he can radiate fear so intense it can drive you insane or stop your heart. Why do you think all rational creatures fear the dark?"

"But then ... How do we know he's not here right now, watching us?" Percy asked.

"We don't," Grover said.

"Thanks, that makes me feel a lot better," I said.

I saw the tiny little elevator car we were going to ride to the top of the Arch and felt bad for Percy, he hates confined places.

We got shoehorned into the car with this big fat lady and her dog, a Chihuahua with a rhinestone collar. When the Chihuahua looked at and began to speak. "CHIMERA CHIMERA CHIMERA."

I thought I had gone crazy the fat lady said. "I know Sonny calm down."

"Sonny, Is that his name." Percy asked.

"No." the lady said.

At the top of the Arch, the observation deck reminded me of a tin can with carpeting. Rows of tiny windows looked out over the city on one side and the river on the other. The view was okay. But the lady was creeping me out.

Percy pushed us toward the exit, Grover and Annabeth got into the elevator, and I was about to get in myself when I realized there were already two other tourists inside. No room for me or Percy.

The park ranger said, "Next car, sir."

"We'll get out," Annabeth said. "We'll wait with you two."

"Naw, it's okay. We'll see you guys at the bottom." Percy said.

Now the only people left on the observation deck were me, a little boy with his parents, the park ranger, and the fat lady with her Chihuahua.

I smiled uneasily at the fat lady. She smiled back, her forked tongue flickering between her teeth.

Wait what?

Before I could decide if I'd really seen that, her Chihuahua jumped down and started yapping at Percy. But I could understand it.

"I let me eat him let me eat him."

"Doggie!" said the little boy. "Look, a doggie!"

"This is not going to end well." I said.

"Well, son," the fat lady sighed. "If you insist."

"Urn, did you just call that Chihuahua your son?" Percy asked.

"That's no Chihuahua Percy, that's a Chimera." I said.

"WHAT!" Percy said.

The Chihuahua barked louder, and with each bark, it grew. First to the size of a Doberman, then to a lion. The bark became a roar.

The little boy screamed. His parents pulled him back toward the exit, straight into the park ranger, who stood, paralyzed, gaping at the monster.

The Chimera was now so tall it's back rubbed against the roof. It had the head of a lion with a blood- caked mane, the body and hooves of a giant goat, and a serpent for a tail, a ten-foot-long diamondback growing right out of its shaggy behind.

The Chimera lunged at Percy I dove in front willing void into a scythe. But the Chimera halted and pulled back, it didn't seem like it wanted to hurt me.

The snake lady made a hissing noise that might've been laughter. "Be honored, Percy Jackson. Lord Zeus rarely allows me to test a hero with one of my brood. For I am the Mother of Monsters, the terrible Echidna!"

"Isn't that an anteater?" Percy said.

She howled, her reptilian face turning brown and green with rage. "I hate it when people say that! I hate Australia! Naming that ridiculous animal after me. For that, Percy Jackson, my son shall destroy you!"

Percy uncapped riptide and charged the Chimera which opened its jaws and fire blast out. It put a hole in the side of the arch. "O great, the police will blame us for that." I said.

I rushed at it but it jumped back but the snake tail bit Percy on the leg.

"Percy!" I yelled

We backed to the edge of the hole. Far, far below, the river glittered.

"If you are the son of Poseidon," Echidna hissed, "you would not fear water. Jump, Percy Jackson. Show me that water will not harm you. Jump and retrieve your sword. Prove your bloodline."

"Do it." I said "the water could help you."

"What about you?" he said.

"I will be fine just jump."

"I won't leave you!"

"Yes you will." With that I turned and punched him in the gut knocking him off and towards the river.

"That was brave of you child but now you die, kill him." She said.

But to my surprise the Chimera turned to her and said. "No."

"What." She said

"Leave." he told me.

"Why are you letting me leave?" I asked

"I will not fight my fellow."

I was shocked but thanked him and left with the humans. Thinking my life could not get any more confusing.


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey guys sorry I haven't updated I had the bane of all things, homework.**

Chapter 14 I threaten war.

When I reached the ground the police rushed forward, I was a wanted for my mother's death so I shifted into my monster form, I don't know what they saw thought the mist probably a big snake, one of the police officers pulled a pistol and fired.

I braced for pain but none came I looked down and saw a bullet hole in my shirt but no blood like the bullet had passed right through me. The officer fired again but still no effect the officer said. "What the?"

I lunged at him rapped my tail around him and pulled the gun out of his hand and slammed it in his head. The officer crumpled and the rest of the police force just backed away. I slithered away and shifted back and went to find Annabeth and Grover.

When I found them they looked scared.

"What happened and where is Percy?" Annabeth asked.

"You know that lady with the Chihuahua?" I asked.

"Yes"

"They are really Echidna and the chimera."

"WHAT!" They yelled.

"Shut up," I hissed "the police are looking for me!"

"Where is Percy?" Grover asked.

"He jumped from the arch into the river, I hope that his powers over water helped him survive."

We walked to the river passing a news lady was talking for the camera: "Probably not a terrorist attack, we're told, but it's still very early in the investigation. The damage, as you can see, is very serious. We're trying to get to some of the survivors, to question them about eyewitness reports of someone falling from the Arch."

We saw Percy and ran over to him, but when we got close Percy punched me.

"Nice to see you too." I said.

"You pushed me off a Six hundred and thirty feet drop!" he said. Then he hugged me. "I thought you died up there."

"How did you survive?" Annabeth asked.

"The chimera let me leave."

"Why."

"He said he wouldn't fight his fellow."

"What did he mean by fellow?" Grover asked.

"I do not know but we need to leave, now!"

"We got to get to Santa Monica!" Percy said.

"Why?" I asked.

"I got a summons from my dad."

Before I could say anything we passed another reporter doing a news break.

"Percy and Ulfr Jackson. That's right, Dan. Channel Twelve has learned that the boys who may have caused this explosion fits the descriptions of a young men wanted by authorities for a serious New Jersey bus accident three days ago. And they are believed to be traveling west. For our viewers at home, here is a photo of Percy and Ulfr"

We ducked around the news van and slipped into an alley.

When we went to a do-it-yourself car wash. And sent an Iris-message to camp by tossing a coin in a rainbow.

Later, we were sitting at a booth in a gleaming chrome diner. All around us, families were eating burgers and drinking malts and sodas.

The waitress came over. She raised her eyebrow skeptically. "Well?"

"We, um, want to order dinner." Percy said.

"You kids have money to pay for it?"

Grover's lower lip quivered. I was afraid he would start bleating, or worse, start eating the linoleum. Annabeth looked ready to pass out from hunger.

I was considering robing the place sense we were already wanted by the police when a rumble shook the whole building, a motorcycle the size of a baby elephant had pulled up to the curb.

All conversation in the diner stopped. The motorcycle's headlight glared red. Its gas tank had flames painted on it, and a shotgun holster riveted to either side, complete with shotguns. The seat was leather-but leather that looked like ... Well, Caucasian human skin.

The guy on the bike would've made pro wrestlers run for Mama. He was dressed in a red muscle shirt and black jeans and a black leather duster, with a hunting knife strapped to his thigh. He wore red wraparound shades, and he had the cruelest, most brutal face I'd ever seen, with an oily black crew cut and cheeks that were scarred from many, many fights. The weird thing was, I felt like I'd seen his face somewhere before.

As he walked into the diner, all the people rose, as if they were hypnotized, but the biker waved his hand dismissively and they all sat down again. Everybody went back to their conversations. The waitress blinked, as if somebody had just pressed the rewind button on her brain. She asked us again, "You kids have money to pay for it?"

The biker said, "It's on me." He slid into our booth, which was way too small for him, and pushed me into the window, witch maid me mad.

He looked up at the waitress, who was gaping at him, and said, "Are you still here?"

She turned as if she'd been spun around, then marched back toward the kitchen.

The biker looked at me. I couldn't see his eyes behind the red shades, but bad feelings started boiling in my stomach. Anger, resentment, bitterness. My monster side wanted to rip everything a part, but I pushed it back.

He gave Percy a wicked grin. "So you're old Seaweed's kid, huh?"

"What's it to you?" Percy said.

Annabeth shot a warning look. "Percy, this is-"

The biker raised his hand.

"s'okay," he said. "I don't mind a little attitude. Long as you remember who's the boss. You know who I am, little cousin?"

"You're Clarisse's dad," Percy said. "Ares, god of war."

"That explains the smell." I said.

He glared at me. The waitress came back with heaping trays of food, cheeseburgers, fries, onion rings, and chocolate shakes.

Ares handed her a few gold drachmas.

She looked nervously at the coins. "But, these aren't..."

Ares pulled out his huge knife and started cleaning his fingernails. "Problem, sweetheart?"

The waitress swallowed, then left with the gold.

"You can't do that," Percy told Ares. "You can't just threaten people with a knife."

"Why not? Your brother was going to do the same."

The rest of my group glared at me.

"What?!" I asked.

"We were hungry and are trying to save the world!"

"Hey that reminds me, I need you to do me a favor." Ares said.

"What favor could I do for a god?" Percy said.

"Something a god doesn't have time to do himself. It's nothing much. I left my shield at an abandoned water park here in town. I was going on a little ... Date with my girlfriend. We were interrupted. I left my shield behind. I want you to fetch it for me."

"Why don't you go back and get it yourself?" Percy asked.

The fire in his eye sockets glowed a little hotter.

"Why don't I turn you into a prairie dog and run you over with my Harley? Because I don't feel like it. A god is giving you an opportunity to prove yourself, Percy Jackson. Will you prove yourself a coward?"

"Or are you the coward?" I said. "Let me guess you and your girlfriend got scared away and now are sending a group of kids."

Fire in his eye sockets glowed white hot but he seemed to restrain himself.

"You got guts kid, but you better learn your place."

"We're not interested," Percy said. "We've already got a quest."

"I know all about your quest, punk. When that item was first stolen, Zeus sent his best out looking for it: Apollo, Athena, Artemis, and me, naturally. If I couldn't sniff out a weapon that powerful... Well ... If I couldn't find it, you got no hope. Nevertheless, I'm trying to give you the benefit of the doubt. Your dad and I go way back. After all, I'm the one who told him my suspicions about old Corpse Breath."

"You told him Hades stole the bolt?"

"Sure. Framing somebody to start a war. Oldest trick in the book. I recognized it immediately. In a way, you got me to thank for your little quest."

"I'm not sure whether to thank you or curse you." I said.

"Just do my little job, and I'll help you on your way. I'll arrange a ride west for you and your friends."

"We're doing fine on our own."

"Yeah, right. No money. No wheels. No clue what you're up against. Help me out, and maybe I'll tell you something you need to know. Something about your mom."

"My mom?" Percy and I asked.

"That got your attention. The water park is a mile west on Delancy. You can't miss it. Look for the Tunnel of Love ride."

"What interrupted your date?" I asked.

Ares bared his teeth, but I'd seen his threatening look before on Clarisse. There was something false about it, almost like he was nervous.

"You're lucky you met me, punk, and not one of the other Olympians. They're not as forgiving of rudeness as I am. I'll meet you back here when you're done. Don't disappoint me."

"If we lose even one of our group I **will** kill you!"

"I'd like to see you try." Then he disappeared in a flash of light.

"Not good," Grover said. "Ares sought you out, Percy. This is bad."

"I don't trust him" I said. "Forget Ares. Let's just go"

"We can't," Annabeth said. "Look, I hate Ares as much as anybody, but you don't ignore the gods unless you want serious bad fortune. He wasn't kidding about turning Percy into a rodent."

"Why didn't he turn me into a rodent I pissed him off more than Percy?" I asked.

"Ulfr you are a monster, monsters are able to resist godly energy so if he wanted to hurt you he would have to cut you or punch you." Annabeth said.

We ate are lunch and left to find Ares shield.


	15. Chapter 15

**hey guys, sorry but I having some problems are coming up so the updates will happen less frequently. But I will continue.**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 15 The water park of death.

The sun was sinking behind the mountains by the time we found the water park. Judging from the sign, it once had been called WATERLAND, but now some of the letters were smashed out, so it read WAT R A D.

The main gate was padlocked and topped with barbed wire. Inside, huge dry waterslides and tubes and pipes curled everywhere, leading to empty pools. Old tickets and advertisements fluttered around the asphalt. With night coming on, the place looked sad and creepy.

"If Ares brings his girlfriend here for a date," Percy said, staring up at the barbed wire, "I'd hate to see what she looks like."

"Percy," Annabeth warned. "Be more respectful."

"Why?" I asked.

"He's still a god. And his girlfriend is very temperamental."

"You don't want to insult her looks," Grover added.

"Who is she? Echidna?" Percy asked.

"No, Aphrodite," Grover said, a little dreamily. "Goddess of love."

I slapped the back of his head.

"Don't go all fan boy on us." I said.

"Besides I thought she was married to somebody," Percy said. "Hephaestus."

"What's your point?" he asked.

"Oh" I said. "The gods are really messed up."

"So how do we get in?" Percy asked.

"Maia!" Grover's shoes sprouted wings.

He flew over the fence, did an unintended somersault in midair, then stumbled to a landing on the opposite side. He dusted off his jeans, as if he'd planned the whole thing. "You guys coming?"

After we got over the gate found a souvenir shop that had been left open. Merchandise still lined the shelves: snow globes, pencils, postcards, and racks of-

"Clothes," Annabeth said. "Fresh clothes."

"Yeah," Percy said. "But you can't just-"

She snatched an entire row of stuff of the racks and disappeared into the changing room. A few minutes

later she came out in Waterland flower-print shorts, a big red Waterland T-shirt, and commemorative Waterland surf shoes. A Waterland backpack was slung over her shoulder, obviously stuffed with more goodies

Percy and Grover shrugged and grabbed some clothes and went to chang.

luckily I still had a fresh pair of clothes in my backpack. I had a black T-shirt and plain blue jeans.

We continued searching for the Tunnel of Love. I got the feeling that the whole park was holding its breath. "So Ares and Aphrodite," Percy said, "they have a thing going?

"That's old gossip, Percy," Annabeth told him. "Three-thousand-year-old gossip."

"What about Aphrodite's husband?" I asked.

"Well, you know," she said. "Hephaestus. The black-smith. He was crippled when he was a baby, thrown off Mount Olympus by Zeus. So he isn't exactly handsome. Clever with his hands, and all, but Aphrodite isn't into brains and talent, you know?"

"I get the feeling I won't like aphrodite"

"Dose Hephaestus know?" Percy asked.

"Oh sure," Annabeth said. "He caught them together once. I mean, literally caught them, in a golden net, and invited all the gods to come and laugh at them. Hephaestus is always trying to embarrass them. That's why they meet in out-of-the-way places, like ..."

She stopped, looking straight ahead. "Like that."

In front of us was an empty pool that would've been awesome for skateboarding. It was at least fifty yards across and shaped like a bowl. Around the rim, a dozen bronze statues of Cupid stood guard with wings spread and bows ready to fire.

On the opposite side from us, a tunnel opened up, probably where the water flowed into when the pool was full. The sign above it read, THRILL RIDE O' LOVE: THIS IS NOT YOUR PARENTS' TUNNEL OF LOVE!

Grover crept toward the edge. "Guys, look."

Marooned at the bottom of the pool was a pink-and-white two-seater boat with a canopy over the top and little hearts painted all over it. In the left seat, glinting in the fading light, was Ares's shield, a polished circle of bronze.

"This is too easy," I said. "something is wrong."

Annabeth ran her fingers along the base of the nearest Cupid statue.

"There's a Greek letter carved here," she said. "Eta. I wonder ..."

"you smell any monsters?" Percy asked Grover and me.

Grover and I sniffed the air. "Nothing."

"Then I'm going down there."

"Gout boy and I will keep a look out." I said.

"Sure. But what could go wrong?" Grover asked.

"I don't know, I just have a bad feeling."

"Ok Annabeth, come with me-" Percy asked.

"Are you kidding?" She looked at him as if he had just dropped from the moon. Her cheeks were bright red.

"What's the problem now?" He demanded.

"Me, go with you to the ... the 'Thrill Ride of Love'? How embarrassing is that? What if somebody saw me?"

Percy catching on face flushed red.

"I'll do it myself." he said. But when he started down the side of the pool, she followed him, muttering about how boys always messed things up.

I smirked, when they weren't looking I pulled a camera, I had and snapped a pic of them.

"For future blackmail."

Grover chuckled but stopped when we heard gears grinding, as if the whole pool were turning into one giant machine.

Grover yelled, "Guys!"

I willed void into scythe mode when up on the rim, the Cupid statues were drawing their bows into firing position. They fired at each other, across the rim of the pool. Silky cables trailed from the arrows, arcing over the pool and anchoring where they landed to form a huge golden asterisk. Then smaller metallic threads started weaving together magically between the main strands, making a net.

I rushed forward and slashed at the cables but they would not break.

The Cupids' heads popped open. Out came video cameras. Spotlights rose up all around the pool, blinding us with illumination, and a loudspeaker voice boomed: "Live to Olympus in one minute ... Fifty Nine seconds, fifty-eight ..."

"Hephaestus!" Annabeth screamed. "I'm so stupid.' Eta is H.' He made this trap to catch his wife with Ares. Now we're going to be broadcast live to Olympus and look like absolute fools!"

The row of mirrors opened like hatches and thousands of tiny metallic ... things poured out.

Annabeth screamed.

It was an army of wind-up creepy-crawlies: bronze-gear bodies, spindly legs, little pincer mouths, all scuttling toward Them in a wave of clacking, whirring metal.

"Spiders!" Annabeth said. "Sp-sp-aaaah!" She fell backward in terror and almost got overwhelmed by the spider robots before Percy pulled her up and dragged her back toward the boat.

Percy I started kicking away the spiders as they swarmed aboard. I yelled at Annabeth to help me, but she was too paralyzed to do much more than scream.

"Fifteen, fourteen," the loudspeaker called.

What to do what to do I got it, Water, I thought.

Then I saw them: huge water pipes behind the mirrors, where the spiders had come from. And up above the net, next to one of the Cupids, a glass windowed booth that must be the controller's station.

I ran over to it and started slamming away at the buttons, nun worked.

"Percy!" I yelled. "Use your powers!"

"What!?" he yelled.

"Your a son of the sea, use the water!"

"Five, four-"

He closed his eyes.

"Two, one, zero!"

Water exploded out of the pipes. It roared into the pool, sweeping away the spiders. Percy pulled Annabeth into the seat next to him and fastened her seat belt just as the tidal wave slammed into the boat, over the top, whisking the spiders away and dousing them completely, but not capsizing them. The boat turned, lifted in the flood, and spun in circles around the whirlpool.

Spotlights glared down at us. The Cupid cams were rolling, live to Olympus.

They went down the tunnel.

"Lets meet them at the end." I told Grover.

We ran to the end of the ride and saw Percy and Annabeth Jump straight over the gates, over the pool, and down toward solid asphalt.

I shifted to my monster form and lunged and grabbed Percy and slowed his fall and Grover used his winged shoes to catch Annbeth.

Once we caught our breath, they thanked us for saving there lives.

A hundred yards away, at the entrance pool, the Cupids were still filming. The statues had swiveled so that their cameras were trained straight on us, the spotlights in our faces.

"Show's over!" Percy yelled. "Thank you! Good night!"

I ran up and slashed the cameras right off.

Percy hefted the shield on his arm and turned to us and said. "We need to have a little talk with Ares."


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 16 I slay a lion.

The war god was waiting for us in the diner parking lot. "Well, well," he said. "You didn't get yourself killed."

"You knew it was a trap," I said. Ares gave me a wicked grin.

"Bet that crippled black-smith was surprised when he netted a couple of stupid kids. You looked good on TV."

Percy shoved his shield at him and said. "You're a jerk."

Annabeth and Grover caught their breath.

Ares grabbed the shield and spun it in the air like pizza dough. It changed form, melting into a bulletproof vest. He slung it across his back. "See that truck over there?" He pointed to an eighteen-wheeler parked across the street from the diner. "That's your ride. Take you straight to L.A., with one stop in Vegas."

The eighteen-wheeler had a sign on the back, which I could read only because it was reverse-printed white on black, a good combination for dyslexia: KINDNESS INTER-NATIONAL: HUMANE ZOO TRANSPORT. WARNING: LIVE WILD ANIMALS.

"I hate you." I said.

Ares snapped his fingers. The back door of the truck unlatched. "Free ride west, punk. Stop complaining. And here's a little something for doing the job." He slung a blue nylon backpack off his handlebars and tossed it to Percy.

Inside were fresh clothes for all of us, twenty bucks in cash, a pouch full of golden drachmas, and a bag of Double Stuff Oreos.

Percy said, "I don't want your lousy-"

"Thank you, Lord Ares," Grover interrupted, giving me his best red-alert warning look. "Thanks a lot."

I looked back at the diner, which had only a couple of customers now. The waitress who'd served us dinner was watching nervously out the window, like she was afraid Ares might hurt us. She dragged the fry cook out from the kitchen to see. She said something to him. He nodded, held up a little disposable camera and snapped a picture of us.

Great, I thought. We'll make the papers again tomorrow.

I imagined the headline: EVIL KIDS BEAT UP BIKER.

"You promised me information about my mother." Percy said.

"You sure you can handle the news?" He kick-started his motorcycle. "She's not dead."

The ground seemed to spin beneath me. "What do you mean?"

"I mean she was taken away from the Minotaur before she could die. She was turned into a shower of gold, right? That's metamorphosis. Not death. She's being kept."

"Kept. Why?" Percy asked.

"Hostages." I said. "You take somebody to control somebody else."

"Nobody's controlling me."

"We already are Percy, did you volunteer for this quest or threatened?"

Ares laughed "you're a smart one kid, see ya later."

"You're pretty smug, Lord Ares, for a guy who runs from Cupid statues." Percy said.

Behind his sunglasses, fire glowed. I felt a hot wind in my hair. "We'll meet again, Percy Jackson. Next time you're in a fight, watch your back."

He revved his Harley, then roared off down Delancy Street.

Annabeth said, "That was not smart, Percy."

"I don't care."

"You don't want a god as your enemy. Especially not that god."

"Hey, guys," Grover said. "I hate to interrupt, but ..." He pointed toward the diner. At the register, the last two customers were paying their check, two men in identical black coveralls, with a white logo on their backs that matched the one on the KINDNESS INTERNATIONAL truck.

We ran across the street and climbed in the back of the big rig, closing the doors behind us.

The first thing that hit me was the smell. It was like the world's biggest pan of kitty litter.

The trailer was dark inside until Percy uncapped Anaklusmos. The blade cast a faint bronze light over a very sad scene. Sitting in a row of filthy metal cages were three of the most pathetic zoo animals I'd ever beheld: a zebra, a male albino lion, and some weird antelope thing I didn't know the name for.

Someone had thrown the lion a sack of turnips, which he obviously didn't want to eat. The zebra and the antelope had each gotten a Styrofoam tray of hamburger meat. The zebra's mane was matted with chewing gum, like somebody had been spitting on it in their spare time. The antelope had a stupid silver birthday balloon tied to one of his horns that read OVER THE HILL!

Apparently, nobody had wanted to get close enough to the lion to mess with him, but the poor thing was pacing around on soiled blankets, in a space way too small for him, panting from the stuffy heat of the trailer. He had flies buzzing around his pink eyes and his ribs showed through his white fur.

"This is kindness?" Grover yelled. "Humane zoo trans-port?"

The engine roared to life, the trailer started shaking, and we were forced to sit down or fall down.

We huddled in the corner on some mildewed feed sacks, trying to ignore the smell and the heat and the flies. Grover talked to the animals in a series of goat bleats, but they just stared at him sadly. Annabeth was in favor of breaking the cages and freeing them on the spot, but Percy pointed out it wouldn't do much good until the truck stopped moving. Besides, I had a feeling we might look a lot better to the lion than those turnips.

We helped the animals as much as we could but I kept an I on the lion witch was eying Grover like a meal.

"Hey," Annabeth said, "I'm sorry for freaking out back at the water park, Percy."

"That's okay."

"It's just..." She shuddered. "Spiders."

"Because of the Arachne story," I guessed. "She got turned into a spider for challenging your mom to a weaving contest, right?"

Annabeth nodded. "Arachne's children have been taking revenge on the children of Athena ever since. If there's a spider within a mile of me, it'll find me. I hate the creepy little things. Anyway, I owe you Percy."

"We're a team, remember?" Percy said. "Besides, Grover and Ulfr did the fancy flying."

I thought Grover was asleep, but he mumbled from the corner, "I was pretty amazing, wasn't I?"

She pulled apart an Oreo, handed me half. "In the Iris message ... did Luke really say nothing?"

"Luke said you and he go way back. He also said Grover wouldn't fail this time. Nobody would turn into a pine tree." Percy

In the dim bronze light of the sword blade, it was hard to read their expressions.

"I should've told you the truth from the beginning." His voice trembled. "I thought if you knew what a failure I was, you wouldn't want me along."

"You were the satyr who tried to rescue Thalia, the daughter of Zeus."

"What? Thalia as in the that Zeus turned to a tree?"

He nodded glumly.

"And the other two half-bloods Thalia befriended, the ones who got safely to camp ..." I looked at Annabeth. "That was you and Luke, wasn't it?"

She put down her Oreo, uneaten. "Like you said, Percy, a seven-year-old half-blood wouldn't have made it very far alone. Athena guided me toward help. Thalia was twelve. Luke was fourteen. They'd both run away from home, like me. They were happy to take me with them. They were ... amazing monster fighters, even without training. We traveled north from Virginia without any real plans, fending off monsters for about two weeks before Grover found us."

"I was supposed to escort Thalia to camp," he said, sniffling. "Only Thalia. I had strict orders from Chiron: don't do anything that would slow down the rescue. We knew Hades was after her, see, but I couldn't just leave Luke and Annabeth by themselves. I thought ... I thought I could lead all three of them to safety. It was my fault the Kindly Ones caught up with us. I froze. I got scared on the way back to camp and took some wrong turns. If I'd just been a little quicker ..."

"Stop it," Annabeth said. "No one blames you. Thalia didn't blame you either."

"She sacrificed herself to save us," he said miserably, "Her death was my fault. The Council of Cloven Elders said so."

"Because you wouldn't leave two other half-bloods behind?" I said. "That's not fair."

"Percy's right," Annabeth said. "I wouldn't be here today if it weren't for you, Grover. Neither would Luke. We don't care what the council says."

Grover kept sniffling in the dark. "It's just my luck. I'm the lamest satyr ever, and I find the two most powerful half-bloods of the century, Thalia and Percy."

"uggg can we stop the pity party?" I said. "You're right last time you messed up, so learn from it, you can't change the past so focused on making a great future. You failed with Thalia but Percy is still here so work at getting him though the quest."

Everyone stared at me.

"What?"

"when did you become so inspirational."

I just shrugged and went to sleep.

(time skip)

I woke up

Grover was shaking my shoulder. "The trucks stopped," he said. "We think they're coming to check on the animals."

Hide!" Annabeth hissed.

She just put on her magic cap and dis-appeared. Percy, Grover and I had to dive behind feed sacks and hope we looked like turnips.

The trailer doors creaked open. Sunlight and heat poured in.

"Man!" one of the truckers said, waving his hand in front of his ugly nose. "I wish I hauled appliances." He climbed inside and poured some water from a jug into the animals' dishes.

"You hot, big boy?" he asked the lion, then splashed the rest of the bucket right in the lion's face.

He smirked at the zebra. "How ya doing', Stripes? Least we'll be getting rid of you this stop. You like magic shows? You're gonna love this one. They're gonna saw you in half!"

"that's it" I said. I shifted to my snake form and slithered toward him. He screamed and ran.

"what's going on back there!" The driver yelled.

"There's a massive snake in the truck!" the ugly man yelled.

"let's free the animals" I said.

Percy slashed the lock off the zebra's cage.

Grover held up his hands and said something to the zebra in goat talk, like a blessing.

The zebra ran for it with the two uglys chasing after it, with a few policemen running after them, shouting, "Hey! You need a permit for that!"

"Now would be a good time to leave," Annabeth said.

"The other animals first," Grover said.

Everything was going great until we freed the lion who lunged at Grover teeth bared, I willed void into scythe mode and slashed but instead of collapsing it began to disintegrate, but that wasn't the weirdest the dust then flew at me and sank into my skin and made me feel really weird.

"WHAT WAS THAT!" I yelled.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 17 the Lotus Casino.

We passed the Monte Carlo and the MGM. We passed pyramids, a pirate ship, and the Statue of Liberty, which was a pretty small replica, but still made me homesick. I wasn't sure what we were looking for. Maybe just a place to get out of the heat for a few minutes, find a sandwich and a glass of lemonade, make a new plan for getting west.

We must have taken a wrong turn, because we found ourselves at a dead end, standing in front of the Lotus Hotel and Casino. The entrance was a huge neon flower, the petals lighting up and blinking. No one was going in or out, but the glittering chrome doors were open, spilling out air-conditioning that smelled like flowers lotus blossom, maybe.

The doorman smiled at us. "Hey, kids. You look tired. You want to come in and sit down?"

I looked at him suspiciously, but the others went in, so I followed. I know I was becoming paranoid but we have been attacked too many times for me not to be.

Inside, we took one look around, and Grover said, "Whoa."

The whole lobby was a giant game room. And I'm not talking about cheesy old Pac Man games or slot machines. There was an indoor waterslide snaking around the glass elevator, which went straight up at least forty floors. There was a climbing wall on the side of one building, and an indoor bungee-jumping bridge. There were virtual reality suits with working laser guns. And hundreds of video games, each one the size of a widescreen TV. Basically, you name it, this place had it. There were a few other kids playing, but not that many. No waiting for any of the games. There were waitresses and snack bars all around, serving every kind of food you can imagine.

"Hey!" a bellhop said. "Welcome to the Lotus Casino. here are your room keys."

"Um, but-" Percy tried to say.

"No, no," he said, laughing. "The bill's taken care of. No extra charges, no tips. Just go on up to the top floor, loom 4001. If you need anything, like extra bubbles for the hot tub, or skeet targets for the shooting range, or whatever, just call the front desk. Here are your LotusCash cards. They work in the restaurants and on all the games and rides."

He handed us each a green plastic credit card.

I sniffed the air for monsters but I just got a weird smell. Something was wrong here.

"Hey guys?" I said. "I think we should leave."

"Come on Ulfr we can rest in here for a little while." Annabeth said.

"But I smell something weird."

"I don't smell anything." Grover said.

"Grrr, fine but if anything happens I will say, I told you so," I said.

We took the elevator upstairs and checked out our room. It was a suite with three separate bedrooms and a bar stocked with candy, sodas, and chips (which I started to pack). A hotline to room service. Fluffy towels and water beds with feather pillows. A big screen television with satellite and high speed Internet. The balcony had its own hot tub, and sure enough, there was a skeet-shooting machine and a shotgun, so you could launch clay pigeons right out over the Las Vegas skyline and plug them with your gun. I didn't see how that could be legal, but I thought it was pretty cool. The view over the Strip and the desert was amazing, though I doubted we'd ever find time to look at the view with a room like this.

There were clothes in the closet, and they fit me. I frowned, thinking that this was a little strange.

I took a shower, which felt awesome after a week of grimy travel. I changed clothes, ate a bag of chips, drank a sprite, and came out feeling better than I had in a long time. But I was still nerves that something was wrong.

I came out of the bedroom and found that Percy, Annabeth and Grover had also showered and changed clothes.

"So what now?" Annabeth asked. "Sleep?"

Grover and Percy looked at each other and grinned. "Play time." They said.

While the rest of the group played, I was searching for anything weird or dangerous.

I was walking down a hallway when someone bumped into me.

"Sorry." A kid wearing a black shirt and smelt of death, which was really freaky.

"It's ok." I said.

"The names Nico, you?"

"Ulfr." Then I had an Idea. "So Nico have you notice anything strange?"

"No, I have been here two weeks and new stuff comes out every day."

"How do they do that?"

"Don't know, but when I leave I will get that new device, what was it called?" He thinks for a bit. "a Gameboy."

Wait the game boy was an old thing?

"New device?"

"Ya, it comes out July 31, 1989."

I froze. "Hey, this might sound weird but, my mind just went blank, what year is it?"

"like I said, 1989."

'Oh crap, this is not good!' I thought.

 _"_ _I got to go, see you later Nico."_

 _"_ _Ok-?"_

 _I ran back to the arcade looking for the gang._

 _"_ _Ulfr!" Percy yelled "we need to leave now!"_

 _"_ _I know" I said "I'm looking for the others."_

 _Percy went to find Annabeth, and I went to get Grover. When I found him, he was playing one of the revers hunting game, one where the deer's hunt the humans._

"Grover!" I yelled.

He said, "Die, human! die, silly polluting nasty person!"

"Grover!"

He turned the plastic gun on me and started clicking, as if I were just another image from the screen.

I changed into my snake form, picked him up and slung him over my shoulder, and slithered towards Percy, who now had Annabeth with him, and we went to the door.

The Lotus bellhop hurried up to us. "Well, now, are you ready for your platinum cards?"

"We're leaving," Percy told him.

"Such a shame," he said, and I got the feeling that he really meant it, that we'd be breaking his heart if we went. "We just added an entire new floor full of games for platinum card members."

He held out the cards, Grover reached for one, but I slapped his hand. "No thanks" Annabeth said.

We burst through the doors of the Lotus Casino and ran down the sidewalk. It felt like afternoon, about the same time of day we'd gone into the casino, but something was wrong. The weather had completely changed. It was stormy, with heat lightning flashing out in the desert.

I ran to the nearest newspaper stand and read the year first. Thank the gods, it was the same year it had been when we went in. Then I noticed the date: June twentieth.

"We had been in the Lotus Casino for five days." I said.

"WHAT!?" the group yelled.

"Oh and one more thing." I said and walked over to them and slapped all of them on the back of the head.

"Ow, what was that for?"

"I told you so." I said smirking.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 18 water beds

We took a taxi The Santa Monica Pier. Percy told us about his latest dream. An invisible servant talking to someone called the crooked one.

"Who is the crooked one?" I asked.

"maybe it's another name for hades." Grover suggested.

"That throne room sounds like Hades's," Annabeth said. "That's the way it's usually described."

Percy shook his head. "Something's wrong. The throne room wasn't the main part of the dream. And that voice from the pit ... I don't know. It just didn't feel like a god's voice."

Annabeth's eyes widen

"What?" I asked.

"Oh ... nothing. I was just-No, it has to be Hades. Maybe he sent this thief, this invisible person, to get the master bolt, and something went wrong-"

"Like what?" Percy asked.

"I-I don't know," she said. "But if he stole Zeus's symbol of power from Olympus, and the gods were hunting him, I mean, a lot of things could go wrong. So, this thief had to hide the bolt, or he lost it somehow. Anyway, he failed to bring it to Hades. That's what the voice said in your dream, right? The guy failed. That would explain what the Furies were searching for when they came after us on the bus. Maybe they thought we had retrieved the bolt."

"But if I'd already retrieved the bolt," Percy said, "why would I be traveling to the Underworld?"

I looked at him shocked. "You have evil thoughts for a goat. "

"Why, thank you. "

"But the thing in the pit said it was waiting for two items, " Percy said. "If the master bolt is one, what's the other?"

Annabeth looked scared.

"You have an idea on who might be in that pit, don't you?" Percy said.

"Percy, let's not talk about it, because if it isn't Hades," she shudders "no it has to be Hades."

We rolled by a sign that said. 'California state lines, 12 miles.

I thought about the quest. When I heard about the invisible servant I thought of the spy at camp. Who was it? And who was in that pit. I was sure it wasn't hades. It didn't feel right.

The taxi dropped us off at the beach at sunset. It smelled horrible. Percy walked into the water and came out with three pearls and said they would help us in the underworld.

We took the bus west into holly wood Percy showed the driver the address for the underworld taken from medusa's lair. But he never heard of D.O.A. recording studios.

"Hey, you two look like someone I saw on tv," he told Percy and I. "Are you a child actor or something."

"We are stunt doubles for child actors." Percy said.

"Ah, that explains it."

We quickly got off on the next stop. We tried to find D.O.A recording studios but could not find it. We tried to avoid cop cars.

Percy Froze in front of an appliance store window. The tv were showing an interview with someone I hated. Percy and I's step dad, smelly Gabe. He was talking to Barbara Walters, like he was a celebrity. My hands balled into fists. He was in a poker game, with some blonde lady sitting next to him. A fake tear glistened on his cheek.

"honest miss Walters," he said. "if it wasn't for sugar here my grief counselor, I'd be a wreck. My step sons took everything I cared about, my wife my Camaro, I'm sorry I have a hard time talking about it."

"there you have it America," Barbara said. "a man torn apart by two Troubled boys, let show you again the last know photo of these young criminals, taken a week ago in Denver."

It showed an image of me, Percy, Grover and Annabeth, standing in front of the diner talking to Ares.

"who are the other children in this photo? Who is the man with them? Is Percy and Ulfr Jackson a terrorist, or a brainwashed victim of a Freighting new cult? When we come back we will chat we the leading child psychologist."

The others had to drag me away to stop me from punching the appliance store window.

When it got, dark shady looking characters started coming out to the streets. We walked by gangs, homeless guys and street hawks, who looked at us like they were trying to diced whether or not to mug us.

At the entrance to an ally a guy said "hey you" like an Idiot, Percy stopped and we were surrounded. A gang of kids had circled us. 10 of them in all with expensive clothing, rich kids playing bad. Some holding knifes. Percy uncapped riptide and swung at on, which it passed right through him like mist.

"what the?" the kid said.

I turned and tackled one of the kids that was blocking are path.

"Run." I told the others and they ran. I got up and ran as well, one of the kids though a knife at me I felt the blade hit me, but it just bounced off like it was a toy.

We turned the corner and ran into a shop that said something to do with CRSTIY'S WUTREBDE ALPACE.

"Crusty's Waterbed Palace?" Grover translated.

We ran inside. A split second later, the gang kids ran past outside.

"I think we lost them," Grover panted.

"Hey Ulfr?" Percy asked "how come you didn't get cut by the Knife?"

"I don't know, something similar happened at the arch. A police officer shot me but nothing happened." I said.

"it's because he's a monster. Monsters aren't affected by mortal weapons."

"cool." I said.

"what is cool?" a new voice said.

We all jumped.

Standing behind us was a guy who looked like a raptor in a leisure suit. He was at least two meters tall, with absolutely no hair. He had grey leathery skin, thick-lidded eyes, and a cold reptilian smile. He moved towards us slowly, but I got the feeling he could move fast if he needed to.

'I'm Crusty,' he said, with a tartar-yellow smile.

Yes, you are. I thought.

"Sorry to barge in," Percy told him. "We were just, um, browsing."

"You mean hiding from those no-good kids," he grumbled. "They hang around every night. I get a lot of people in here, thanks to them. Say, you want to look at a waterbed?"

There was every kind of waterbed you could imagine: different kinds of wood, different patterns of sheets; queen-size, king-size, emperor-of-the-universe-size.

"This is my most popular model." Crusty spread his hands proudly over a bed covered with black satin sheets, with built-in Lava Lamps on the headboard. The mattress vibrated, so it looked like oil flavored jelly.

"Million-hand massage," Crusty told us. "Go on, try it out. Shoot, take a nap. I don't care. No business today, anyway."

"Um," I said, "I don't think we shou-"

"Million-hand massage!' Grover cried, and dived in. "Oh, you guys! This is cool."

"Hmm,' Crusty said, stroking his leathery chin. Almost, almost."

"Almost what?' I asked.

He looked at Annabeth. "Do me a favor and try this one over here, honey. Might fit."

Annabeth said, "But what –"

He patted her reassuringly on the shoulder and led her over to the Safari Deluxe model with teakwood lions carved into the frame and a leopard-patterned bedspread. When Annabeth didn't want to lie down, Crusty pushed her.

"Hey!" she protested.

Crusty snapped his fingers. "Ergo!"

Ropes sprang from the sides of the bed, lashing around Annabeth, holding her to the mattress.

Grover tried to get up, but ropes sprang from his black-satin bed, too, and lashed him down.

I grabbed void and willed him into a scythe and charged.

Crusty dodged my swing and knocked me onto one of the beds. "Ergo!"

Ropes rapped around me and began to stretch me. Percy pulled out riptide. "let them go." he said

Crusty pulled out an axe. "I will once there the right Height. They might even survive." And they began to fight. I changed into my snake monster form and slithered out of the ropes. I bit Crusty on the arm making him drop the axe. Percy took advantage of this, and stabbed him in the heart. Crusty turned to dust. We freed Grover and Annabeth.

They got to their feet, groaning and wincing and cursing me and Percy a lot.

"you look taller" Percy said.

"Shut up." Annabeth said and I laughed.

I looked at the bulletin board behind Crusty's sales desk. There was an advertisement for Hermes Delivery Service, and another for the All-New Compendium of L.A. Area Monsters – 'The only Monstrous Yellow Pages you'll ever need!' Under that, a bright orange flier for DOA Recording Studios, offering commissions for heroes' souls. 'We are always looking for new talent!' DOA's address was right underneath with a map.

"Come on." Percy said.

"Give us a minute," Grover complained. "We were almost stretched to death!"

"Then you're ready for the underworld." I said.


	20. Chapter 20

**hey guys, sorry but I having some personal problems happening so the next update won't happen for a little while.**


	21. Chapter 21

**Hey guys I'm back.**

Chapter 19

We stood in the shadows of Valencia Boulevard, looking up at gold letters etched in black marble: DOA RECORDING STUDIOS. Underneath, stenciled on the glass doors: NO SOLICITORS. NO LOITERING. NO LIVING.

It was almost midnight; the lobby was brightly lit and full of people. Behind the security desk sat a tough-looking guard with sunglasses and an earpiece.

Percy turned to us and said. "Okay. You remember the plan."

"We have a plan?" I asked.

"Don't think negative."

"Right." Annabeth said. "We're going to the land of the dead and I shouldn't think negative."

Percy took out the pearls, the three milky spheres the Nereid had given him in Santa Monica. They didn't seem like much of a backup in case something went wrong.

Annabeth put her hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Percy. You're right, we'll make it. It'll be fine."

She gave Grover and I a nudge.

"Oh, right!" Grover chimed in. "We got this far. We'll find the master bolt and save your mom. No problem."

"ya" I said sounding confident. "We got your back, let's go get mom."

Percy nodded looking happier.

We walked inside the DOA lobby.

Mozaki played softly on hidden speakers. The carpet and walls were steel gray. Pencil cactuses grew in the corners like skeleton hands. The furniture was black leather, and every seat was taken. There were people sitting on couches, people standing up, people staring out the windows or waiting for the elevator. Nobody moved, or talked, or did much of anything. They smelt of death, which didn't help my nerves.

The security guard's desk was a raised podium, so we had to look up at him.

He was tall and elegant, with chocolate-colored skin and bleached-blond hair shaved military style. He wore tortoiseshell shades and a silk Italian suit that matched his hair. A black rose was pinned to his lapel under a silver name tag.

"Your name is Chiron?" Percy asked.

"What a precious young lad" he said. He had a strange accent-British, maybe, but also as if he had learned English as a second language. "Tell me, mate, do I look like a centaur?"

"Well, we can't see your legs so, maybe." I said and he glared at me.

He pinched the name tag and ran his finger under the letters. "Can you read this, mate? It says C-H-A-R- O-N. Say it with me: CARE-ON."

"Charon." Percy said.

"Amazing! Now: Mr. Charon."

"Mr. Charon."

"Well done." He sat back. "I hate being confused with that old horse-man. And now, how may I help you little dead ones?"

"We're her to sell cookies." I said sarcastically.

 _Annabeth stepped on my foot._

"We want to go the Underworld." she said.

Charon's mouth twitched. "Well, that's refreshing."

"It is?" she asked.

"Straightforward and honest. No screaming. No 'There must be a mistake, Mr. Charon." He looked us over. "How did you die, then?"

Percy nudged Grover. "Oh, we drowned…. In a bathtub"

"Really?" I thought.

"Big bathtub." Charon looked mildly impressed.

"Did that really work?" I thought

"I don't suppose you have coins for passage. Normally, with adults, you see, I could charge your American Express, or add the ferry price to your last cable bill. But with children ... Alas, you never die prepared. Suppose you'll have to take a seat for a few centuries."

"Oh, but we have coins. " Percy said and set three golden drachmas on the counter, part of a stash we'd found in Crusty's office desk.

Well, now ... " Charon moistened his lips. "Real drachmas. Real golden drachmas. I haven't seen these in ... "

His fingers hovered greedily over the coins.

We were so close.

Then Charon looked at me. That cold stare behind his glasses seemed to bore a hole through my chest. "Here now, " he said. "You couldn't read my name correctly. Are you dyslexic, lad?"

Ah crap.

"No," Percy said. "I'm dead."

Charon leaned forward and took a sniff. "You're not dead. I should've known. Two godlings and a satyr and monster child."

We have to get to the Underworld, " I insisted.

"Leave while you can, " Charon told us. "I'll just take these and forget I saw you. "

He started to go for the coins, but I snatched them back.

"No service, no tip." Percy said.

Charon growled.

"It's a shame, too," Percy sighed. "We had more to offer."

"a lot more." I said as Percy held up the entire bag from Crusty's stash. he took out a fistful of drachmas and let the coin's spill through his fingers. Charon's growl changed into something more like a lion's purr.

"I bet Hades doesn't pay you well enough for such hard work." I said.

"Oh, you don't know the half of it. How would you like to babysit these spirits all day? Always 'Please don't let me be dead' or 'Please let me across for free. ' I haven't had a pay raise in three thousand years. Do you imagine suits like this come cheap?"

"You deserve better," Percy agreed. "A little appreciation. Respect. Good pay."

With each word, he stacked another gold coin on the counter.

"I must say, lad, you're making some sense now. Just a little."

Percy stacked another few coins. "I could mention a pay raise while I'm talking to Hades."

He sighed. "The boat's almost full, anyway. I might as well add you three and be off."

He stood, scooped up our money, and said, "Come along."

We pushed through the crowd of waiting spirits, who started grabbing at our clothes like the wind, their voices whispering things I couldn't make out. Charon shoved them out of the way, grumbling, "Freeloaders."

He escorted us into the elevator, which was already crowded with souls of the dead, each one holding a green boarding pass. Charon grabbed two spirits who were trying to get on with us and pushed them back into the lobby.

"Right. Now, no one get any ideas while I'm gone," he announced to the waiting room. "And if anyone moves the dial off my easy-listening station again, I'll make sure you're here for another thousand years. Understand?"

He put a key card into a slot in the elevator panel and we started to descend.

I got a sudden dizzy feeling. We weren't going down anymore, but forward. The air turned misty. Spirits around me started changing shape. Their modern clothes flickered, turning into gray hooded robes. The floor of the elevator began swaying.

Charon's creamy Italian suit had melted into a long black robe. His tortoiseshell glasses vanished. Where his eyes should've been were empty sockets-like Ares's eyes, except Charon's were totally dark, full of night and death and despair.

When I blinked again, the elevator wasn't an elevator anymore. We were standing in a wooden barge. Charon was poling us across a dark, oily river, swirling with bones, dead fish, and other, stranger things- plastic dolls, crushed car-nations, soggy diplomas with gilt edges.

When I blinked again, the elevator wasn't an elevator anymore. We were standing in a wooden barge. Charon was poling us across a dark, oily river, swirling with bones, dead fish, and other, stranger things- plastic dolls, crushed car-nations, soggy diplomas with gilt edges.

"The River Styx," Annabeth murmured. "It's so ..."

"Polluted, " Charon said. "For thousands of years, you humans have been throwing in everything as you come across-hopes, dreams, wishes that never came true. Irresponsible waste management, if you ask me. "

Mist curled off the filthy water. Above us, almost lost in the gloom, was a ceiling of stalactites. Ahead, the far shore glimmered with greenish light, the color of poison.

The shoreline of the Underworld came into view. Craggy rocks and black volcanic sand stretched inland about a hundred yards to the base of a high stone wall, which marched off in either direction as far as we could see. A sound came from somewhere nearby in the green gloom, echoing off the stones-the howl of a large animal.

"Cerberus, is hungry." I said.

"how can to tell?" Annabeth asked.

"I don't know, I just can."

The bottom of our boat slid onto the black sand. The dead began to disembark. A woman holding a little girl's hand. An old man and an old woman hobbling along arm in arm. A boy no older than I was, shuffling silently along in his gray robe.

Charon said, "I'd wish you luck, but there isn't any down here. Mind you, don't forget to mention my pay raise."

We followed the spirits up a well-worn path.

the entrance to the Underworld looked like a cross between airport security and the Jersey Turnpike.

There were three separate entrances under one huge black archway that said YOU ARE NOW ENTERING EREBUS. Each entrance had a pass-through metal detector with security cameras mounted on top

The dead queued up in the three lines, two marked ATTENDANTS ON DUTY, and one marked EZ DEATH. The EZ DEATH line was moving right along. The other two were crawling.

"What do you figure?" Percy asked Annabeth.

"The fast line must go straight to the Asphodel Fields," she said. "No contest. They don't want to risk judgment from the court, because it might go against them."

"There's a court for dead people?"

"Yeah. Three judges. They switch around who sits on the bench. King Minos, Thomas Jefferson, Shakespeare-people like that. Sometimes they look at a life and decide that person needs a special reward-the Fields of Elysium. Sometimes they decide on punishment. But most people, well, they just lived. Nothing special, good or bad. So, they go to the Asphodel Fields."

"And do what?"

Grover said, "Imagine standing in a wheat field in Kansas. Forever."

"Harsh," I said.

We got closer to the gates. The howling was so loud now it shook the ground at my feet, but I still couldn't figure out where it was coming from. But I could feel something nearby. Something powerful.

Then, about fifty feet in front of us, the green mist shimmered. Standing just where the path split into three lanes was an enormous shadowy monster. The source of my feeling.

I hadn't seen it before because it was half transparent, like the dead. Until it moved, it blended with whatever was behind it. Only its eyes and teeth looked solid. And it was staring straight at me.

"He's a Rottweiler?" asked Percy.

"He's a far more than a Rottweiler," I said. "The ultimate hell hound."

"I'm starting to see him better," Percy muttered. "Why is that?"

"I think ..." Annabeth moistened her lips. "I'm afraid it's because we're getting closer to being dead."

The dog's middle head craned toward us. It sniffed the air and growled.

"It can smell the living." Percy said

The middle head snarled at us, then barked so loud my eyeballs rattled. Then it said "You're not welcome flesh bags."

"You can talk!" I yelled.

The others looked at me.

"you can understand him!" Annabeth asked.

"yeah, can't you?"

 _Percy and Annabeth shook their heads._

 _Percy took a stick out of his_ backpack a bedpost I'd broken off Crusty's Safari Deluxe floor model.

"Hey, Big Fella," he called up. "I bet they don't play with you much."

 _"_ _No, they don't, throw the stick!"_ Cerberus said.

"Fetch!" he threw the stick into the gloom, a good solid throw. I heard it go ker-sploosh in the River Styx.

"Great throw Percy." I said sarcastically.

 _"_ _shut up." He told me._

 _You have ten seconds to pick a god and pray. Then you die."_

 _I translated for Percy and Annabeth._

 _"_ _Wait!"_ Annabeth said. She started rifling through her pack.

This is not going to end well, I thought.

Annabeth produced a red rubber ball the size of a grapefruit. It was labeled WATERLAND, DENVER, CO. Before I could stop her, she raised the ball and marched straight up to Cerberus.

She shouted, "See the ball? You want the ball, Cerberus? Sit!"

Cerberus looked as stunned as we were.

All three of his heads cocked sideways. Six nostrils dilated.

"Sit!" Annabeth called again.

I was sure she would get eaten.

But instead, Cerberus licked his three sets of lips, shifted on his haunches, and sat, immediately crushing a dozen spirits who'd been passing underneath him in the EZ DEATH line. The spirits made muffled hisses as they dissipated, like the air let out of tires.

Annabeth said, "Good boy!"

She threw Cerberus the ball.

He caught it in his middle mouth. It was barely big enough for him to chew, and the other heads started snap-ping at the middle, trying to get the new toy.

"Drop it." Annabeth ordered.

Cerberus's heads stopped fighting and looked at her. The ball was wedged between two of his teeth like a tiny piece of gum. He made a loud, scary whimper, then dropped the ball, now slimy and bitten nearly in half, at Annabeth's feet.

"Good boy." She picked up the ball, ignoring the monster spit all over it.

She turned toward us. "Go now. EZ DEATH line it's faster."

Percy said, "But-"

"Just go!" I said.

"Stay!" Annabeth ordered the monster. "If you want the ball, stay!"

Cerberus whimpered, but he stayed where he was.

"What about you?" Percy asked Annabeth as we passed her.

"I know what I'm doing, Percy, " she muttered. "At least, I'm pretty sure..."

Percy, Grover and I walked between the monster's legs.

Please, Annabeth, I prayed. Don't tell him to sit again.

We made it through.

Annabeth said, "Good dog!"

She threw the ball anyway. The monster's left mouth immediately snatched it up, only to be attacked by the middle head, while the right head moaned in protest.

While the monster was distracted, Annabeth walked briskly under its belly and joined us at the metal detector.

"How did you do that?" Percy asked her, amazed.

"Obedience school, " she said breathlessly, and I was surprised to see there were tears in her eyes. "When I was little, at my dad's house, we had a Doberman..."

"no time for that we got to go." I said and we ran towards hades palace.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 20

Imagine the largest concert crowd you've ever seen, a foot-ball field packed with a million fans.

Now imagine a field a million times that big, packed with people, and imagine the electricity has gone out, and there is no noise, no light, no beach ball bouncing around over the crowd. Something tragic has happened backstage. Whispering masses of people are just milling around in the shadows, waiting for a concert that will never start.

If you can picture that, you have a pretty good idea what the Fields of Asphodel looked like. The black grass had been trampled by eons of dead feet. A warm, moist wind blew like the breath of a swamp. Black trees-Grover told me they were poplars-grew in clumps here and there.

Percy, Annabeth, Grover, and I tried to blend into the crowd, keeping an eye out for security ghouls. The entire place smells of death.

The dead aren't scary. They're just sad.

We crept along, following the line of new arrivals that snaked from the main gates toward a black- tented pavilion with a banner that read:

JUDGMENTS FOR ELYSIUM AND ETERNAL DAMNATION

Welcome, Newly Deceased!

Out the back of the tent came two much smaller lines.

To the left, spirits flanked by security ghouls were marched down a rocky path toward the Fields of Punishment, which glowed and smoked in the distance, a vast, cracked wasteland with rivers of lava and minefields and miles of barbed wire separating the different torture areas. Even from far away, I could see people being chased by hellhounds, burned at the stake, forced to run naked through cactus patches or listen to opera music. I could just make out a tiny hill, with the ant-size figure of Sisyphus struggling to move his boulder to the top. And I saw worse tortures, too-things I don't want to describe.

The line coming from the right side of the judgment pavilion was much better. This one led down toward a small valley surrounded by walls-a gated community, which seemed to be the only happy part of the Underworld. Beyond the security gate were neighborhoods of beautiful houses from every time period in history, Roman villas and medieval castles and Victorian mansions. Silver and gold flowers bloomed on the lawns. The grass rippled in rainbow colors. I could hear laughter and smell barbecue cooking.

Elysium.

In the middle of that valley was a glittering blue lake, with three small islands like a vacation resort in the Bahamas. The Isles of the Blest, for people who had chosen to be reborn three times, and three times achieved Elysium. Immediately I knew that's where I wanted to go when I died. Then I remembered I am a monster, I am immortal and will never go there.

"That's what it's all about," Annabeth said. "That's the place for heroes."

I sighed.

"What is it?" Percy asked.

I looked at him. "I just realized something."

"What?" Annabeth asked.

"I'm a monster, right?" I asked and They nodded. "Well that means I am immortal, right?" They nodded again. "well you guys will grow old and die but I won't, I will remain the same forever."

Percy put a comfort hand on my shoulder.

After a few miles of walking, we began to hear a familiar screech in the distance. Looming on the horizon was a palace of glittering black obsidian. Above the parapets swirled three dark bat like creatures: The Furies.

"I got a bad feeling about this." I said.

"I suppose it's too late to turn back," Grover said wistfully.

"We will be fine." Percy said trying to sound confident.

Grover yelped. His sneakers sprouted wings and his legs shot forward, pulling him away from Annabeth. He landed flat on his back in the grass.

"Grover," Annabeth chided. "Stop messing around."

"But I didn't-"

He yelped again. His shoes were flapping like crazy now. They levitated off the ground and started dragging him away from us.

"Maia!" he yelled, but the magic word seemed to have no effect. "Maia, already! Nine-one-one! Help!"

I jumped forward I grabbed him but it started to drag me to. We started picking up speed, skidding downhill like a bobsled.

Annabeth shouted, "Untie the shoes!"

It was a smart idea, but it's hard to untie shoes that where dragging you feetfirst at full speed. I tried to slow him down but it was not much.

The slope got steeper. Grover and I picked up speed. Annabeth and Percy had to sprint to keep up. The cavern walls narrowed on either side, and I realized we'd entered some kind of side tunnel. No black grass or trees now, just rock, and the dim light of the stalactites above.

I shifted into my snake form and rapped my tail around Grover and dug my claws into the gravel but it only helped a little the tunnel got darker and colder. The hairs on my arms bristled. It smelled evil down here. It made me think of things I shouldn't even know about blood spilled on an ancient stone altar, the foul breath of a murderer.

Then I saw what was ahead of us, made my heart stop. The tunnel widened into a huge dark cavern, and in the middle, was a chasm the size of a city block.

Grover was sliding straight toward the edge.

"Come on, Percy!" Annabeth yelled.

"But that's-"

"I know!" she shouted. "The place you described in your dream! But Grover and Ulfr are going to fall if we don't catch them."

Grover was yelling, I clawing at the ground, but the winged shoes kept dragging us toward the pit, and it didn't look like they could possibly get to us in time.

What saved us were his hooves.

The flying sneakers had always been a loose fit on him, and finally Grover and I hit a big rock and the left shoe came flying off. It sped into the darkness, down into the chasm. The right shoe kept tugging him along, but not as fast.

We were 15 feet from the edge of the pit when they caught us and hauled us back up the slope. The other winged shoe tugged itself off, circled around us angrily and kicked our heads in protest before flying off into the chasm to join its twin.

We all collapsed, exhausted, on the obsidian gravel. My limbs felt like lead. I changed back to human and looked at the pit and said. "Tartarus."

Grover was scratched up pretty bad I had my scales protect me he did not. His hands were bleeding. His eyes had gone slit-pupiled, goat style, the way they did whenever he was terrified.

"I don't know how ..." he panted. "I didn't…"

"Wait," I said. "Listen."

I heard something-a deep whisper in the darkness.

Another few seconds, and Annabeth said, "Percy, this place-"

"Shh." I stood.

The sound was getting louder, a muttering, evil voice from far, far below us. Coming from the pit.

Grover sat up. "Wh-what's that noise?"

Annabeth heard it too, now. I could see it in her eyes. "Tartarus. The entrance to Tartarus." Percy uncapped Anaklusmos.

The bronze sword expanded, gleaming in the darkness, and the evil voice seemed to falter, just for a moment, before resuming its chant.

I could almost make out words now, ancient, ancient words, older even than Greek. As if ...

"Magic," Percy and I said.

"We have to get out of here," Annabeth said.

Together, we dragged Grover to his hooves and started back up the tunnel. My legs wouldn't move fast enough. Then something odd happened I began to chant as well. My words held a power to them, what looked like ruins appeared around us we broke into a run.

Not a moment too soon.

A cold blast of wind pulled at our backs, as if the entire pit were inhaling. But a bubble seemed to be around us keeping us from getting sucked in. Finally reached the top of the tunnel, where the cavern widened out into the Fields of Asphodel. The wind died. A wail of outrage echoed from deep in the tunnel. Something was not happy we'd gotten away.

"What was that?" Grover panted, when we'd collapsed in the relative safety of a black poplar grove. "One of Hades's pets?"

"No," I coughed. "To powerful."

"Let's keep going." Percy said and looked at Grover. "Can you walk?"

He swallowed. "Yeah, sure. I never liked those shoes, anyway. "

He tried to sound brave about it, but he was trembling as badly as Annabeth and Percy were. I was in shock how did I us magic?

Inside hades courtyard was the strangest garden I'd ever seen. Multicolored mushrooms, poisonous shrubs, and weird luminous plants grew without sunlight. Precious jewels made up for the lack of flowers, piles of rubies as big as my fist, clumps of raw diamonds. Standing here and there like frozen party guests were Medusa's garden statues- petrified children, satyrs, and centaurs-all smiling grotesquely.

We walked up the steps of the palace, between black columns, through a black marble portico, and into the house of Hades. The entry hall had a polished bronze floor, which seemed to boil in the reflected torchlight. There was no ceiling, just the cavern roof, far above. I guess they never had to worry about rain down here.

Every side doorway was guarded by a skeleton in military gear. Some wore Greek armor, some British redcoat uniforms, some camouflage with tattered American flags on the shoulders. They carried spears or muskets or M-16s. None of them bothered us, but their hollow eye sockets followed us as we walked down the hall, toward the big set of doors at the opposite end.

"Well, guys," Percy said. "I suppose we should ... Knock?"

A hot wind blew down the corridor, and the doors swung open. The guards stepped aside.

"I guess that means enter," Annabeth said.

We saw a black throne with hades sitting on it. He was at least ten feet tall, for one thing, and dressed in black silk robes and a crown of braided gold. His skin was albino white, his hair shoulder-length and jet black. He wasn't bulked up like Ares, but he radiated power.

He lounged on his throne of fused human bones, looking lithe, graceful, and dangerous as a panther.

"You are brave to come here, Son of Poseidon," he said in an oily voice. "After what you have done to me, very brave indeed. Or perhaps you are simply very foolish."

"Lord and Uncle, I come with two requests." Percy said.

Hades raised an eyebrow. When he sat forward in his throne, shadowy faces appeared in the folds of his black robes, faces of torment, as if the garment were stitched of trapped souls from the Fields of Punishment, trying to get out.

"Only two requests?" Hades said. "Arrogant child. As if you have not already taken enough. Speak, then. It amuses me not to strike you dead yet."

"Lord Hades," Percy said. "Look, sir, there can't be a war among the gods. It would be ... Bad."

I faced palmed. "Really Percy?"

"Shut up," he muttered.

"Return Zeus's master bolt to me," Percy said. "Please, sir. Let me carry it to Olympus."

Hades's eyes grew dangerously bright. "You dare keep up this pretense, after what you have done?"

"Um ... Uncle," Percy said. "You keep saying 'after what you've done. ' What exactly have I done?"

The throne room shook with a tremor so strong, they probably felt it upstairs in Los Angeles. Debris fell from the cavern ceiling. Doors burst open all along the walls, and skeletal warriors marched in, with a large pack of hellhounds.

Hades bellowed, "Do you think I want war, godling?"

"Well, these guys don't look like peace activists." I said and my friends looked me like I'm mad.

Hades glares at me and I glare back which he seemed surprised about.

"You have a strong will Monster child." He said to me.

"You are the Lord of the Dead," Percy said to distract Hades for me. "A war would expand your kingdom, right?"

"A typical thing for my brothers to say! Do you think I need more subjects? Did you not see the sprawl of the Asphodel Fields?"

"Well..."

"Have you any idea how much my kingdom has swollen in this past century alone, how many subdivisions I've had to open?"

"More security ghouls," he moaned. "Traffic problems at the judgment pavilion. Double overtime for the staff. I used to be a rich god, Percy Jackson. I control all the precious metals under the earth. But my expenses!"

"Charon wants a pay raise," Percy blurted, and I face palmed again.

"Don't get me started on Charon!" Hades yelled. "He's been impossible ever since he discovered Italian suits! Problems everywhere, and I've got to handle all of them personally. The commute time alone from the palace to the gates is enough to drive me insane! And the dead just keep arriving. No, godling. I need no help getting subjects! I did not ask for this war."

"But you took Zeus's master bolt."

"Lies!" More rumbling. Hades rose from his throne, towering to the height of a football goalpost. "Your father may fool Zeus, boy, but I am not so stupid. I see his plan. "

"His plan?"

"You were the thief on the winter solstice," he said. "Your father thought to keep you his little secret. He directed you into the throne room on Olympus, you took the master bolt and my helm. Had I not sent my Fury to discover you at Yancy Academy, Poseidon might have succeeded in hiding his scheme to start a war. But now you have been forced into the open. You will be exposed as Poseidon's thief, and I will have my helm back!"

"Lord Hades, your helm of darkness is missing, too?" Annabeth asked.

"Do not play innocent with me, girl. You the monster child and the satyr have been helping this hero coming here to threaten me in Poseidon's name, no doubt-to bring me an ultimatum. Does Poseidon think I can be blackmailed into supporting him?"

"No!" I said. "Poseidon didn't-I didn't-"

"I have said nothing of the helm's disappearance," Hades snarled, "because I had no illusions that anyone on Olympus would offer me the slightest justice, the slightest help. I can ill afford for word to get out that my most powerful weapon of fear is missing. So, I searched for you myself, and when it was clear you were coming to me to deliver your threat, I did not try to stop you. Return my helm now, or I will stop death," He threatened. "That is my counterproposal. I will open the earth and have the dead pour back into the world. I will make your lands a nightmare. And you, Percy Jackson your skeleton will lead my army out of Hades."

The skeletal soldiers all took one step forward, making their weapons ready. The hellhounds growled.

"You're as bad as Zeus," I said. "You think Percy stole from you? That's why you sent the Furies after us?"

"Of course," Hades said.

"And the other monsters?" Percy asked.

Hades curled his lip. "I had nothing to do with them. I wanted no quick death for you-I wanted you brought before me alive so you might face every torture in the Fields of Punishment."

I lost track of the conversion my brain going a thousand miles a second. I notice Percy took off his pack and opened it. Inside was a two-foot-long metal cylinder, spiked on both ends, humming with energy.

"Percy," Annabeth said. "How-"

"I-I don't know. I don't understand." Percy said.

"I do," I growled. "Ares."

"You heroes are always the same," Hades said. "Your pride makes you foolish, thinking you could bring such a weapon before me. I did not ask for Zeus's master bolt, but since it is here, you will yield it to me. I am sure it will make an excellent bargaining tool. And now ... My helm. Where is it?"

"Lord Hades, wait," I said. "This is all a mistake."

"A mistake?" Hades roared.

The skeletons aimed their weapons. From high above, there was a fluttering of leathery wings, and the three Furies swooped down to perch on the back of their master's throne. The one with Mrs. Dodds's face grinned at me eagerly and flicked her whip.

"There is no mistake," Hades said. "I know why you have come-I know the real reason you brought the bolt. You came to bargain for her."

"Lord Hades, wait, " I said. "This is all a mistake. "

"A mistake?" Hades roared.

The skeletons aimed their weapons. From high above, there was a fluttering of leathery wings, and the three Furies swooped down to perch on the back of their master's throne. The one with Mrs. Dodds's face grinned at me eagerly and flicked her whip.

"There is no mistake," Hades said. "I know why you have come-I know the real reason you brought the bolt. You came to bargain for her."

Hades loosed a ball of gold fire from his palm. It exploded on the steps in front of me and Percy, and there was are mother, frozen in a shower of gold, just as she was at the moment when the Minotaur began to squeeze her to death.

I couldn't speak. We tried to touch her but it was too hot.

"Yes," Hades said with satisfaction. "I took her. I knew, Percy Jackson, that you would come to bargain with me eventually. Return my helm, and perhaps I will let her go. She is not dead, you know. Not yet. But if you displease me, that will change."

"Ah, the pearls," Hades said, and my blood froze. "Yes, my brother and his little tricks. Bring them forth, Percy Jackson."

 _He brought out three pearls._

 _"Only three," Hades said. "What a shame. You do realize each only protects a single person. Try to take your mother, then, little godling. And which of your friends will you leave behind to spend eternity with me? And even if you chose not to save your mother you will still will have to leave one behind. Go on. Choose. Or give me the backpack and accept my terms."_

 _I_ looked at Annabeth and Grover. Their faces were grim.

"Decide, boy!" Hades yelled.

"Percy." Grover put his hand on my shoulder. "You can't give him the bolt,"

"I know that."

"Leave me here," he said. "Use the rest on you guys."

"No," Annabeth said. "leave me."

"No," I said. "I am immortal if he kills me I will just come back."

"No," Percy said shoving a pearl in are hands. "You guys go take the bol-" he went to hand me the bolt but I shoved him to the ground and smashed the pearl at his feet. A bubble erupted around him. I grabbed the other two and smashed them at the feet of Annabeth and Grover. Bubbles erupted around them and they began to float up.

Hades yelled, "Destroy them!"

The army of skeletons rushed forward, swords out, guns clicking to full automatic. The Furies lunged, their whips bursting into flame.

I felt power flow through my body and I yelled. "STOP!"

The hellhounds and the furies froze but the skeletons charged. I changed into my snake form and willed void into scythe mode and started to fight. I slashed, blocked, bit.


	23. Chapter 23

**Hey guys sorry about the code thing.**

Chapter 21

I jumped, ducked slashed and bit doing everything I can to survive. Percy, Annabeth and Grover we're all calling my name as they floated up and away.

Hades roared, in anger as Percy flew through the ceiling. He looked at me with anger and called off his men. "I will deal with you myself!"

He exploded into a supernova.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh" I screamed in agony. My body felt like it was on fire, my eyes were melting but I could not look away. Then images began to flood my mind. I saw a Hades life from being swallowed by his father, to the war with the taints, and all his life after. I felt disgusted as I saw him torture and kill, but I also felt bad for the guy, he was abandoned by his family and left to the underworld with only the past to keep him company.

After the I saw all his life a word came into my mind and said it aloud. "Alone." I said it in a weird way that I can't describe.

Hades Froze when I said it and changed back into his normal form. "What did you say?" he asked.

"Your secret name, Alone." I said. "You are Alone especially now when your wife is away. You are alone."

Hades looked down sadly.

"But not anymore." I said smiling. "Let's start over. Hi my name is Ulfr." I hold out my hand to shake.

Hades looks surprised then narrows his eyes. "Do you really think you can change it. You will eventually will leave me. They all do." He looked depressed.

I smirk and say. "You don't know me very well. Both me and my brother are super loyal. And to prove I want to be or friend, I swear on the river Styx to never tell anyone of your secret name." The words flowed from my mouth and thunder boomed sealing my oath.

Hades looked shocked but a glimmer of hope appeared in his eye. He hesitantly he shakes my hand and said. "Alright I will trust you."

He looks up and says. "Your brothers in trouble. I will send you to him."

He waves his hand and shadow raps around me and next thing I know I'm at Santa Monica Pier there was a group of burning cop cars and over by the surf I saw Ares Limping towards Percy his sword raised to strike. I leaped into action, changing into snake form and willing void into scythe mode and getting in front of the sword locking void with his sword.

"What?" Ares said pushing harder against me. "You're supposed to be dead."

"I don't go down easily." I said and used my tail to nocked his feet out from under him. I swung void around and gave a small cut a crossed his chest.

"You will pay for that one punk." Ares growled getting up.

Percy stood up and asked "How did you escape?"

"I made a new friend." I said. "now let's finish this."

Percy nodded and raised riptide and we attacked. Ares was angry and in pain which made him sloppier but he still held us off. I managed to bite him and injected my venom in him which the pain of made him slower. At one point, he let out a blast of energy and knocked us back. Void flew out of my hand, I changed back to human and Ares was running towards me.

'Aw crap.' I thought.

"Ulfr run!" Percy yelled.

Then the feeling I get when my monster side is active came and I knew what I had to do. I changed.

My hands grew into claws, fur grew across my body my extended into a wolfs snout. Ares stopped shocked. I let out a howl and charged Ares. He swung his sword at me, I jumped to the left and slashed my claws down his face. Gold Ichor flowed from his wounds. While he was clutching his face, Percy slashed his back with riptide.

Percy and I stood there ready to fight. But Ares just said. "You have made an enemy, godling, he told Percy. "You have sealed your fate. Every time you raise your blade in battle, every time you hope for success, you will feel my curse. Beware, Perseus Jackson. Beware"

His body began to glow.

"Percy, Ulfr!" Annabeth shouted. "Don't watch!"

Percy turned away but I did not pain surged but ended fast as Ares vanished.

I turned around only to be tackled by Percy Annabeth and Grover.

"We thought you were dead." Percy said.

"How are you alive?" Annabeth asked.

"I will tell you later, Percy you go return Zeus his toy." I said and thunder rumbled.

"What will you be doing?" Grover asked.

I looked up and saw the furies flying above us.

"Returning something to a friend." I said grabbing a skull helmet from Ares bike.

I walked towards the Furies and yelled. "Hay can you guys give me a lift?"

They flew down and grabbed me and we sank into the shadows. Next thing I know I'm in the throne room of the underworld. I toss Hades the helmet and it turned into a crown of bronze.

"There you go Hades your helm of darkness. Know would you mind giving my mom back?" I asked.

"Yes, yes of course." Hades said. He touches the golden statue of my mother and it vanishes.

"Now, how are things in the underworld?"

Time skip

I just arrived at are apartment I was about to ring the doorbell when I heard someone call my name. I turned to see Percy.

"Percy! Your back! I was wondering if I would have to go back to the underworld to get you." I joked. Percy laughed and rang the doorbell. and there she was-my beautiful mother, smelling of peppermint and licorice, the weariness and worry evaporating from her face as soon as she saw us.

"Percy, Ulfr! Oh, thank goodness. Oh, my babies." She pulled us together into a hug so fast Percy's and my heads slammed into each other.

"Ow." I said.

We stood in the hallway as she cried and ran her hands through are hair.

I'll admit it-my eyes were a little misty, too. Are family was finally hole again.

She told me she'd just appeared at the apartment that morning, scaring Gabe half out of his wits. She didn't remember anything since the Minotaur, and couldn't believe it when Gabe told her we were wanted criminals, traveling across the country, blowing up national monuments. She'd been going out of her mind with worry all day because she hadn't heard the news. Gabe had forced her to go into work, saying she had a month's salary to make up and she'd better get started.

 _Rage filled me and roaring filled my ears. My monster side began to howl like I did when in wolf form._

 _"Ulfr calm down." Percy said._

 _Apparently, my hands had turned into my wolf claws without me knowing. We told mom are stories, and she didn't look surprised when I told her I was a monster._

 _I was just getting to the fight with Ares when Gabe's voice interrupted from the living room. "Hey, Sally! That meat loaf done yet or what?"_

She closed her eyes. "He isn't going to be happy to see you, two. The store got half a million phone calls today from Los Angeles ... Something about free appliances."

"Oh, yeah. About that..." Percy said and I laughed.

She managed a weak smile. "Just don't make him angrier, all right? Come on."

In the month, we'd been gone, the apartment had turned into Gabeland. Garbage was ankle deep on the carpet. The sofa had been reupholstered in beer cans. Dirty socks and underwear hung off the lampshades. Gabe and three of his big goony friends were playing poker at the table.

 _When Gabe saw us, his cigar dropped out of his mouth. His face got redder than lava. "You got nerve coming here, you little punks. I thought the police-"_

"They're not fugitives after all," my mom interjected. "Isn't that wonderful, Gabe?"

Gabe looked back and forth between us. He didn't seem to think are homecoming was so wonderful.

"Bad enough I had to give back your life insurance money, Sally," he growled. "Get me the phone. I'll call the cops."

"Gabe, no!"

He raised his eyebrows. "Did you just say 'no'? You think I'm gonna put up with this punk again? I can still press charges against him for ruining my Camaro."

"But-"

He raised his hand, and my mother flinched.

For the first time, I realized something. Gabe had hit my mother. I didn't know when, or how much. But I was sure he'd done it. Maybe it had been going on for years, when Percy or I weren't around.

 _My monster side began to howl again and strength flowed through my body. Percy and I stepped_ towards Gabe, Percy took out his pen.

He just laughed. "What, punk? You gonna write on me? You touch me, and you are going to jail forever, you understand?"

"Hey, Gabe, " his friend Eddie interrupted. "He's just a kid."

Gabe looked at him resentfully and mimicked in a falsetto voice: "Just a kid."

His other friends laughed like idiots. Until my hand closed around Gabes neck. My hands were claws again and digging into his neck.

"Give me one reason not to rip your throat out." I growled and he spluttered. His friends just stood there in shock.

"ULFR NO!" my mom said.

I growled but let him go he collapsed gasping.

"I'll give you five minutes to get your stuff and clear out. After that, I call the police." He gasped.

My mother took my arm. "Please, Percy, Ulfr. Come on. We'll go to your room."

I let her pull me away, my hands still trembling with rage.

Are room had been completely filled with Gabe's junk. There were stacks of used car batteries, a rotting bouquet of sympathy flowers with a card from somebody who'd seen his Barbara Walters interview.

"Gabe is just upset," my mother told me. "I'll talk to him later. I'm sure it will work out."

"Mom, it'll never work out. Not as long as Gabe's here." Percy said then looked at me weirdly.

"What!" I growled my monster half still growling to come out.

"Your eyes." He said.

"What about them." I snapped. My mom pulled out a pocket mirror.

I looked at my reflection and saw my eyes, my jaw dropped. Rather than my normal hazel brown eyes, they were green. Not a sea green like Percy, they were a dark green and seamed to glow with power. I took a deep breath and held it untie my monster side settled down and my eyes turned to normal.

"Well, that's one more mystery needed to be solved." I said. Then I felt something. I looked at Percy's bed. There was a package that wasn't there before.

My mom wrung her hands nervously. "I can ... I'll take you to work with me for the rest of the summer. In the fall, maybe there's another boarding school-"

"Mom."

She lowered her eyes. "I'm trying. I just... I need some time."

 _"Mom, do you want Gabe gone?" Percy asked._

 _"Percy, it isn't that simple. I-"_

 _"Mom, just tell me. That jerk has been hitting you. Do you want him gone or not?"_

 _"Yeah just tell us and I will get rid of him." I said._

 _She hesitated, then nodded almost imperceptibly. "Yes. I do. And I'm trying to get up my courage to tell him. But you can't do this for me. You can't solve my problems."_

 _I looked down at the package and I knew what it was, it was the one Percy sent to_ Olympus… medusas head.

"I can do it," Percy told her. "One look inside this box, and he'll never bother you again."

She glanced at the package, and seemed to understand immediately. "No, Percy," she said, stepping away. "You can't."

"Poseidon called you a queen" Percy told her. "He said he hadn't met a woman like you in a thousand years."

Her cheeks flushed. "Percy-"

 _"Wait," I said. "When did you talk to Poseidon?"_

 _"On Olympus." He said._

 _"did you ask him why he only gave us three pearls? Because if I hadn't befriended Hades I would be dead."_

 _Percy ignored me and turned back to mom._ "You deserve better than this, Mom. You should go to college, get your degree. You can write your novel, meet a nice guy maybe, live in a nice house. You don't need to protect us anymore by staying with Gabe. Let me get rid of him."

 _She wiped a tear off her cheek. "You sound so much like your father," she said. "He offered to stop the tide for me once. He offered to build me a palace at the bottom of the sea. He thought he could solve all my problems with a wave of his hand."_

 _"What's wrong with that?"_

 _Her multicolored eyes seemed to search inside me. "I think you know, Percy. I think you're enough like me to understand. If my life is going to mean anything, I have to live it myself. I can't let a god take care of me ... Or my son. I have to ... Find the courage on my own. Your quest has reminded me of that."_

We listened to the sound of poker chips and swearing, ESPN from the living room television.

"I'll leave the box," I said. "If he threatens you ..."

She looked pale, but she nodded. "Where will you go, Percy?"

"Half-Blood Hill." Percy said.

"For the summer ... Or forever?"

"I guess that depends." We said together.


	24. Chapter 24

_Chapter 22_

We were the first heroes to return alive to Half-Blood Hill since Luke, so of course everybody treated us as if we'd won some reality-TV contest. They even treated me better!

According to camp tradition, we wore laurel wreaths to a big feast prepared in our honor, then led a procession down to the bonfire, where we got to burn the burial shrouds our cabins had made for us in our absence.

Annabeth's shroud was so beautiful-gray silk with embroidered owls , Percy told her it seemed a shame not to bury her in it, which I laughed at. She punched him and told me to shut up.

Being the son of Poseidon, Percy didn't have any cabin mates, so the Ares cabin had volunteered to make his shroud. They'd taken an old bedsheet and painted smiley faces with X'ed-out eyes around the border, and the word LOSER painted really big in the middle.

My shroud was simple. They clearly didn't work too hard on it but it was still nice. It was pitch black with three red slashes in it like claw marks.

As Apollo's cabin led the sing-along and passed out s'mores, Percy and I were surrounded by my Hermes cabinmates, Annabeth's friends from Athena, and Grover's satyr buddies, who were admiring the brand- new searcher's license he'd received from the Council of Cloven Elders. The council had called Grover's performance on the quest "Brave to the point of indigestion. Horns-and-whiskers above anything we have seen in the past."

The only ones not in a party mood were Clarisse and her cabinmates, whose poisonous looks told me and Percy that they'd never forgive us for disgracing their dad.

Which I responded by saying "We beat your dad you don't scare me."

Even Dionysus's welcome-home speech wasn't enough to dampen my spirits. "Yes, yes, so the little brats didn't get killed and now they'll have even bigger heads. Well, huzzah for that. In other announcements, there will be no canoe races this Saturday..."

I moved back into the Hermes cabin but it was not so lonely any more. I made friends Conner and Travis Stoll and a couple of other Hermes cabin.

As for my mother, she had a chance at a new life. Her letter arrived a week after we got back to camp. She told us Gabe had left mysteriously-disappeared off the face of the planet, in fact. She'd reported him missing to the police, but she had a funny feeling they would never find him.

On a completely unrelated subject, she'd sold her first life-size concrete sculpture, entitled The Poker Player, to a collector, through an art gallery in Soho. She'd gotten so much money for it, she'd put a deposit down on a new apartment and made a payment on her first semester's tuition at NYU. The Soho gallery was clamoring for more of her work, which they called "a huge step forward in super-ugly neorealism."

But don't worry, my mom wrote. I'm done with sculpture. I've disposed of that box of tools you left me. It's time for me to turn to writing.

At the bottom, she wrote a P. S. : Percy, Ulfr, I've found a good private school here in the city. I've put a deposit down to hold you two a spot, in case you guys want to enroll for seventh grade. You could live at home. But if you want to go year-round at Half-Blood Hill, I'll understand.

I told Percy it was his choice and I would Agree.

On the Fourth of July, the whole camp gathered at the beach for a firework display by cabin nine. Being Hephaestus's kids, they weren't going to settle for a few lame red-white-and-blue explosions. They'd anchored a barge offshore and loaded it with rockets the size of Patriot missiles. According to Annabeth, who'd seen the show before, the blasts would be sequenced so tightly they'd look like frames of animation across the sky. The finale was sup-posed to be a couple of hundred-foot-tall Spartan warriors who would crackle to life above the ocean, fight a battle, then explode into a million colors.

As Annabeth, Percy and I were spreading a picnic blanket, (which made me feel like the third wheel) Grover showed up to tell us good-bye. He was dressed in his usual jeans and T-shirt and sneakers, but in the last few weeks he'd started to look older, almost high-school age. His goatee had gotten thicker. He'd put on weight. His horns had grown at least an inch, so he now had to wear his Rasta cap all the time to pass as human.

"I'm off," he said. "I just came to say ... Well, you know."

Annabeth gave him a hug. She told him to keep his fake feet on.

Percy asked him where he was going to search first.

"Kind of a secret," he said, looking embarrassed. "I wish you could come with me, guys, but humans, Monsters and Pan ..."

"We understand," Annabeth said. "You got enough tin cans for the trip?"

"Yeah."

"And you remembered your reed pipes?"

"Jeez, Annabeth," he grumbled. "You're like an old mama goat."

But he didn't really sound annoyed.

He gripped his walking stick and slung a backpack over his shoulder. He looked like any hitchhiker you might see on an American highway-nothing like the little runty boy Percy and I used to defend from bullies at Yancy Academy.

Well, " he said, "wish me luck. "

He gave Annabeth another hug. He clapped me and Percy on the shoulder.

"And Ulfr, I sent that picture to everyone in camp." He said smirking.

I knew he was talking about the tunnel of love pic of Percy and Annabeth.

"What picture?" Percy and Annabeth asked at once.

"Nothing." Grover and I said, then headed back through the dunes.

Fireworks exploded to life overhead: Hercules killing the Nemean lion, Artemis chasing the boar, George Washington (who, by the way, was a son of Athena) crossing the Delaware.

"Hey, Grover," Percy called.

He turned at the edge of the woods.

"Wherever you're going-I hope they make good enchiladas."

Grover grinned, and then he was gone, the trees closing around him.

"We'll see him again," Annabeth said.

"ya I can feel it." I said.

July passed.

I spent my days experimenting with my new wolf form, practicing with void and reading up on all the legends of Greece.

The last night of the summer session came all too quickly.

The campers had one last meal together. We burned part of our dinner for the gods. At the bonfire, the senior counselors awarded the end-of-summer beads.

I got my own leather necklace, and when I saw the bead for my first summer, I smiled. The design was pitch black, with a sea-green tri-dent shimmering in the center.

"The choice was unanimous," Luke announced. "This bead commemorates the first Son of the Sea God at this camp, and the quest he undertook into the darkest part of the Underworld to stop a war!"

The entire camp got to their feet and cheered. Even Ares's cabin felt obliged to stand.

The next day I was in the forest hunting monsters. I was listening for monsters when I heard Percy yell for help. I found him on the ground weak a pail I saw what looked like a sting on his hand. Tariffed I grabbed him and changed into my wolf form. I ran as fast as I could to the big house.

 **Time skip.**

I got Percy to the infirmary and was waiting for him to wake up.

"Here we are again," Percy said.

"You idiot," Annabeth said, which is how I knew she was overjoyed to see him conscious. "You were green and turning gray when we found you. If it weren't for Ulfr finding you and Chiron's healing ..."

"Now, now," Chiron said. "Percy's constitution deserves some of the credit."

"How are you feeling?" I asked.

"Like my insides have been frozen, then microwaved."

"Apt, considering that was pit scorpion venom. Now you must tell me, if you can, exactly what happened."

Between sips of nectar, he told us the story of how Luke betrayed us.

"Curse him." I snarled. "if I ever see him I'm going to kill him."

"I can't believe that Luke ..." Annabeth's voice faltered. Her expression turned angry and sad. "Yes. Yes, I can believe it. May the gods curse him... He was never the same after his quest."

"This must be reported to Olympus," Chiron murmured. "and Ulfr, I need to talk to you."

We left the room and he turned to me.

"With Luke leaving you are the new counselor for the Hermes cabin."

My jaw dropped. We starred at each other for a good ten minutes.

"WHAT!" I yelled.

"You are now the counselor for Hermes cabin." He said again.

"B-but I'm not qualified!" I said.

"actually, you are."

"How?"

"The counselor is ether the oldest or the one who's gone on the most quests."

"But I've only gone on one." I said confused.

"That is one more than any one the rest." He said smiling.

I looked at him shocked, then smiled. "I except."

"Good, I will make the announcement at dinner." He said then went to go report to Olympus.

I saw Percy get come out the door leaning on Annabeth.

"Hey man," he said. "What did Chiron want?"

"Apparently, I'm the New counselor for the Hermes cabin." I said. Percy's jaw dropped, but Annabeth looked like she expected this.

"Wow, that's great!" Percy said.

"Ya, so Percy we staying here, or going with mom?" I asked.

He looked thoughtful.

"I think we should go with mom." He finally said.

"we'll be back next summer," I told him. "we'll survive until then." I asked Argus to take me down to cabin eleven, so I could pack my bags for home.

 **Authors note.**

 **Hey guys, how You enjoyed this I will be writhing this series off and on with my Harry potter one but hang on for Book two which will be the sea of monsters.**


	25. Chapter 25

**The First chapter of the sequel is up!**


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